The Pillars of Destiny
by Nyhlus
Summary: Courtney, Duncan, Heather, Alejandro, Izzy, Noah, the children of six lords, will have to marry one another. The problem is that they all despise each other and don't know which one they will marry. On their way to find out the answer, they discover Izzy ran away. Now they must come together to find her, try to get along for the first time, and come face to face with their destiny.
1. To The Festival

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 1: To The Festival!

_ In the year of our lord 215, patriots of Wawanakwa, starving and outnumbered, led by the dashing young prince _Chris_, won their freedom from the Muskoka Empire._

_ With the birth of a new nation, _King Chris, _was tasked with pleasing the six competing lords who participated in the campaign. Each was given a due piece of land. But the lords' greed grew strong, and soon they demanded more. Tensions between the lords began to build. Civil war seemed imminent only a few short years after the nations founding. Desperate_, Chris_ tried to think of a solution to appease the lords and bring peace to the land, the future of Wawanakwa depended on it. _

_ The solution came in a most unexpected way. In the summer of 218, each of the Lords' wives gave birth to their first borns, three boys and three girls:_Noah, Duncan, Alejandro, Courtney, Heather, and Izzy_. _Chris_ capitalized on the opportunity celebrating it as a gift from God, a miracle for all the land. For there to be an equal number of each sex meant God wished peace and cooperation. He decreed that the six heirs would marry each other to help unify the lands of the lords. _Chris_ also decreed that he would be the one to decide who they married. This brought a fragile amount of stability amongst the lords, their houses, and domains, as they did not know who they were going to be connected with through marriage._

_ As the children grew up, they became symbols to the people. The people were able to ignore the rampart poverty, wide spread starvation, and casual racism that was prevalent throughout society, and did not change much after they won their 'freedom'. Every year at the Holy Festival on the summer solstice, the six children were brought together and presented to the people as symbols of the current peace and a brighter future._

_ Now, in 235, the six children, about to turn seventeen years old, travel to the Holy Festival where they will finally be told which amongst them they will have to marry. They will be presented to the people for the first time as couples. Then, in a year, on the next summer solstice during the next Holy Festival, they will be married. _

**Heather of House Strathclyde**

On the road to the capital, a small camp was pitched in a nearby field for the night. The array of tents were lined in rows; torches were lit on small pikes along the edges. In the middle of the camp, a small table was fitted. A young woman with black hair sat with a long red satin dress. Around the table, guards held candelabras; the dim warm light swayed in the wind.

Heather slowly cut her knife into the steak. She peeled it open with her fork and took one look at the insides. In disgust she slammed the utensils onto the table and stared straight at a short cook standing opposite her. "What is this?"

"It is a rare steak, just as m'lady requested." The cook explained holding his hat tightly to his chest.

"This steak isn't rare. Make it again." Heather spoke in a quiet voice.

"But m'lady, you haven't even tasted it."

Heather jabbed her fork into the wood table."Do you think I'm fucking blind or something? When I ask for a rare steak, I expect it to be red! Come here," she demanded, waving her hand. The cook hesitated. "Come here," she insisted. The cook took cautious steps forward, until he stood next to her. "What colour do you think this is?"

"I..I..." he stuttered.

"I asked what colour do you think this is!" Heather grabbed him by the back of his head, and shoved his face into the steak. "What colour is it? Does that look red to you? Huh? Does it? Cause it doesn't look like it to me! That is clearly burgundy!" She yelled.

"I'm sorry m'lady," he said, his words muffled by the steak.

Heather pulled his head back, and pushed him. He fumbled backwards onto the ground dropping his hat at Heather's feet. "Now go, make it again and make it right or so help me God you will be spending the entirety of the Holy Festival in the stocks where you can't fuck up anymore food!" She reached down and picked up his hat and threw it at him. The cook stumbled to his feet and quickly scurried away. Heather settled back into her seat. She sighed, and looked up towards the sky.

"Wow," said Gwen, a servant girl with blue and black hair with tattered black clothing. "You're even more of a bitch than usual today m'lady. Feeling some stress?" She moved to the table, and pulled out the fork from the table.

"Eat shit and die Gwen," Heather spoke stoically. "I'm not feeling good." She stood up from her seat. "You know, this might be my last night of happiness, and I feel miserable. You know you're lucky Gwen, you're life's supposed to be miserable. It must come so easily." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to bed." She turned away and headed towards the largest tent.

"What about your steak?" Gwen asked.

"Feed it to the dogs."

Gwen smiled. She started to clear the table, and hummed a tune.

**Duncan of House Galloway**

Duncan rode atop a horse during a cloudy day. His black hair was shaved into a mohawk. He wore a thick dark brown leather sleeveless shirt. His longsword dangled from his belt. He rode in a long line of horses down a narrow road with forest on either side. The caravan rode at a snail pace as there were many on foot walking next to the horses.

A horse trotted over so it was right next to Duncan's. "How are you m'lord?" Geoff asked, a dashing blonde knight in shining steel armour.

"Bored." Duncan said.

"You're not excited for the Festival?" Geoff asked.

"Please, nothing gets me more excited than discovering which of those broads I'll be chained to the rest of my life." Duncan rolled his eyes.

Geoff adjusted himself on his horse. "Well I'm looking forward to it."

"That's easy for you to say, you're a high knight. It's a weekend of competition, women, and drinking. I'm stuck being held up in a castle making formal greetings and trying not to punch any of those other smug lord bastards." Duncan complained.

Off to the left side, the forest ended exposing a large field with cattle grazing. Geoff caught sight of it and gave Duncan a nudge. "Speaking of competition." A smile grew on Duncan's face. They both exchanged a glace before breaking away from the caravan. Their horses began to sprint off passing by everyone else in the caravan. Geoff and Duncan raced towards the field as they each reached behind to their packs on the back of their horse and pulled out large stretches of rope.

"Loser has to eat slop for a week when we get back!" Duncan called out.

"Which calf we wrangling?"

Duncan pointed to a calf off on the far side of the field. "That one." Geoff's horse sped up past Duncan's and towards the calf. "Hey!"

"You think that little filly can kept up to this stallion?" Geoff taunted. The calf became aware of the two teens galloping towards it and began to run away. "Get over here!" Geoff positioned himself to jump off his horse. However in readjusting his position Geoff miscalculated the weight of the armour and he slid off his horse onto the ground with a thud.

"You're the worst knight ever!" Duncan yelled. He made sure to have his horse go by Geoff on the ground as close as possible. "Later loser!" The calf was now in his sights. Without the heavy armour like Geoff, Duncan was easily able to position himself to jump. He waited for the right moment before leaping off his horse and on top of the calf. Duncan grabbed onto the horns and wrestled the calf to the ground.

As Duncan was tying the calf up with his rope, Geoff walked over. Geoff's armour was now completely covered in mud. Geoff was all smiles though, he patted Duncan on the back. "A deserved victory. Nicely done!"

"It was easy. I just imagined the calf was Noah."

**Courtney of House Grampian**

It was a clear night at sea. A group of large ships travelled together. Those still up on deck were a skeleton group of necessary crew members manning the ship. The lone exception was a young women in a slender green cloth dress. Courtney sat on deck looking over lists of inventory and supplies. Directly above her was a lantern hanging off the mast, the lantern swayed ever so slightly as the ship rocked back and forth.

Rising up from the hatch below deck came Bridgette. She wore a simple brown cloth outfit designed to be worn under steel armour. She was holding a candle looking around when she quickly spotted Courtney. "There you are M'lady, why are you not in bed?" Bridgette asked as she approached.

"I'm double checking all the paperwork to make sure everything is set and correct." Courtney continued to flip through the different sheets, checking a number, referencing it on another page, then double checking again.

"Must it be done this late? You should be getting some rest. We arrive at the capital tomorrow."

"Even more reason for me to make sure everything is correct. My father entrusted me with organizing this expedition on his behalf and I refuse to disappoint him by failing my first major task!"

Bridgette grabbed the nearest crate and dragged it over for a place to sit. "The only reason your father gave you that major task is because you begged and pleaded with him to give you it."

"I'm supposed to be running an entire domain soon, I should at least be able to organize a few ships!" Courtney pleaded.

Calmly Bridgette reached her hand out and placed it on Courtney's shoulder. "M'lady, Courtney, why are you not in bed?"

Courtney stopped fidgeting with the different pieces of paper and rested them on her lap. "How can I be so intimidated by the prospect of marriage. I mean I've known about it my whole life. It's been apart of who I am. Yet the idea, that I might have to spend the rest of my life with one of them, a womanizer, a coward, a fool. It just doesn't seem fair!"

"You sometimes talk favourably of lord Noah."

"Well he's the only one who has half a brain, too bad he has no ambition or drive. Not to mention the fact that he's a snivelling rat who would run with his tail in the air from the first sign of danger. Who's to say I'll even be paired with him? The others are even worse!" She hit her arms against her side. "It's just not fair," she repeated.

"I hate to break it to you m'lady, but life isn't fair."

"I know, I know, but I have an entire population that will depend on me! Not only do I have my own people to look after, I'm also going to have to look after one of their Lordships too because none of them are in any way fit to lead."

"You're young, they're young. Not every leader is fit to lead so young like his Majesty King McLean. Give it time, relax. Come to bed, you're going to need the rest. No sense weighing over what can't be changed." Bridgette stood up and walked right up to Courtney, grabbed her by the arms and lifted her up off her seat.

"You're right Bridgette. Thank you." The young women exchanged a hug before heading down below deck.

**Alejandro of House Lothan**

The carriage shook violently as it trudged along the road on a foggy morning. Two horses pulled the black enclosed carriage along a dirt road. It travelled near the middle of a long travelling caravan made up of horsemen, carriages, and people walking at the rear.

In the carriage, the quarter lights were covered with thin dark drapes. Alejandro laid along one of the benches. He wore a long black coat over a satin vest. Pieces of lace adorned his collar and his cuffs. Across from him Trent lounged back, wearing a green cloak over a loose tan shirt, lightly plucked the strings of a lute.

"I've got to think of a way to escape the castle. I'm not going to miss the chance to meet so many beautiful capital women. I've heard they are the fairest of the nation, and the easiest too." Alejandro stared up at the ceiling of the carriage.

"M'lord, you've got to stop listening to those drunk retired soldiers at the Shank and Drank! I don't care how convincing their stories sound or impressive their beards are, they are all full of shit. Women in the capital are as stuck up as everyone else." Trent spoke. "Doesn't matter though, you'll probably be put under lock and key until you're presented to the people."

"We can sneak out," he began, but then he shook his head. "No, that'd be too much of a risk when I could just send you into the town, and pick one up for me. You can get one for yourself too. Just tell them you have a wealthy patron. They won't be disappointed."

"You want me to pick you up a whore?" Trent asked. "You'll have to give me some money first then," he spoke matter of fact.

"No, I don't want a whore! There's no fun if there's no game. Of course you'd have to play for both of us. But I have faith in you. Play one of your songs, and they'll fall in love with you."

"I'm not sure I like this plan. Are you that desperate?"

"Of course I am! You know why we're going to this stupid festival. It would make anyone desperate."

"Do you dislike those girls that much?"

"Yes," he paused. "Though, it's not even the thought that I'll have to marry one of those hags. It's the whole concept! Can you imagine only being allowed to sleep with one person for the rest of your life?" He threw his arms in the air. "Sounds like a fate worse than death."

He breathed deeply. "Enough about this. Play me a song."

"Which would you like?'

"The one about spring time."

"Here Comes the Sun?"

Alejandro snapped his finger. "That's the one."

Trent cleared his throat, and ran his fingers through his hair. He plucked a couple of strings to check the tuning. Alejandro stayed laying on the bench. His head was flat, staring towards the ceiling. Finally, Trent started to play the song: _"Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright..._

**Noah of House Fife**

The ship swayed slightly back and forth. Below deck Noah laid in a hammock reading a book. Next to him was an open window that illuminated the area around Noah. He wore a white shirt with puffy arms and a brown vest over top.

The hatch to the deck opened and Eva descended. She wore a tattered chainmail shirt, with a black cloak over top. "There is a pigeon from your father m'lord. He requests your presence on his ship as soon as we arrive."

"And what do I owe for the pleasure of my fathers attention?" Noah asked not taking his eyes away from the book.

"He will be holding a meeting of his advisers to discuss strategies on dealing with House Galloway and wants you to participate." Eva explained.

Noah closed his book. "Strategies on dealing with House Galloway? It's not like I'm going to marry Duncan. How much longer till we arrive?"

"Very shortly m'lord, we're just arriving in port now."

Noah peered out the window next to him. He could see a bustling harbour filled to the brink with ships of all different sizes. The docks were full of people loading and unloading goods. "So we are." Noah dropped out of the hammock. He then proceeded to head for the hatch with Eva following closely behind.

Eva moved quickly ahead to open the hatch for Noah. "You seem to be rather relaxed m'lord baring the circumstances. You've always seemed very apprehensive about the prospect of finding out the name of your partner. You know, how you'd rant into the night about getting married against your will, the oppression in the system and something about class consciousness. Oh! And the parade; you had a lot to say regarding getting paraded around the capital for everyone to see..."

"Right! I know Eva!" Noah spoke up, cutting Eva off. Once on deck Noah gave a quick wave to the captain before moved towards the front of the ship. "See, I figured out that the main problem has always been not knowing," Noah tried to explain. "But, I realized, why wait? The king must tell his lords before the festival. I know we're not that special to be the first to learn his decision. I had an agent monitor my father's messages and sure enough I got a hold of the list."

Eva was shocked. "Then you know who you're going to marry?" Noah walked right up to edge of the ship and looked on at the harbour without answering. "Who is it?"

"I'd rather not say."

_Afterword:_

_Thank you everyone for checking out this new story. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought. This is co-written with the help of member Bardic Jester. BJ's profile can be found in my favorite authors list._

_Also check out my older TDI stories: Fake Empire (A completed action adventure tragedy), Objects of My Affection (highschool story on hiatus), and Random Encounter (a oneshot with a big twist)._


	2. The King's Decision

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, mature humour, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 2: The King's Decision

The large stone doors were slowly prided open. Four guards pushed them open with their shoulders. The hinges groaned like a guttering grinding mill stone. It took a minute for the doors to be ajar enough for a person to walk in. Courtney stepped through the doorway and into the room. Once she was on the other side, the equally gruelling task of closing the doors began behind her. The room was known as the royal hall; it served as the conference room in the castle. Every important meeting between the king and the lords took place in the hall. Courtney had only stepped foot in it a couple of times. The ceilings were high, over two stories at the apex. The floor was a polished marble. A large stone fireplace filled the right wall. Bookshelves lined the left. On the far wall, an engrossing window showed the entire capital. In the middle of the room was a large table. There were three chairs on either side and one at the head. The top of the table was clear except for glasses of water in front of each seat. When Courtney was done examining her surroundings something became clear, she was the only one in there. "I'm the first one, figures." The doors finally close behind her with a _thump_. She was shaken by the noise. Then, a pervasive silence filled the room. She walked over to the window. Her shoes tapped lightly on the floor with each step. The view was breathtaking. It reached far into the distance, like watching the reaches of the king's power.

The two large doors were forced open once more. Courtney looked back and saw the guards pushing the doors were already exhausted from the work. Their breaths were heavy. Once there was a large enough crack, Duncan slid his way into the room and the doors were forced closed behind him. Duncan took a second to look over the room before his eyes focused in on Courtney. "Hey Princess."

"How many times to do I have to tell you never to call me that?" Courtney scoffed at him.

Duncan just smiled as he sat down at the first chair in front of him on the right and kicked his feet up onto the table. "Way more than the one time you did tell me to call you that."

"That was eight years ago! I was 9!" Courtney defended herself. "And don't sit there!"

Duncan gave off a look of confusion. "Why not? These are the only chairs."

Moving away from the window Courtney walked right up to the table. "Each House has a specific chair."

"How do you know that?"

"How do you not?" She shouted in annoyance. She then began naming the houses and pointing at the appropriate chair. "Lothan, Grampian, Fife, Strathclyde, Tayside, and Galloway." For Galloway she pointed at the middle chair on the left. Duncan rolled his eyes before standing on his chair. He took a large step, and walked over top of the table. On the other side, he dropped down into the Galloway seat. Courtney sat down in her seat, and folded her arms over her chest. "Real mature," she said, "what if the King walked in?"

"Please, I could run three laps around this table before they could even get that door an inch open." Duncan kicked his feet onto the table. At that moment the doors began to again, and Duncan quickly receded his feet.

This time Heather came walking in. She looked over her two companions. "Don't speak to me." She then walked over and sat down in the Strathclyde chair next to Duncan towards the window.

"Wasn't planning on it." Duncan said under his breath as she strode past him.

The doors did not start to close initially until Alejandro came walking in. He walked right to his seat across from Heather and sat down. "You know I was walking right behind you for the last five minutes right?" He ran his fingers through his hair. In response she grabbed the glass of water in front of her and splashed it onto him. He just whipped the water off his face, "and a hello to you too."

When the doors were finally shut Duncan was quick to put his feet back up onto the table. Courtney shook her head at Heather, "Well you clearly haven't matured over the past year."

"What part of don't speak to me didn't you understand? Or is your head so far up your ass now that it's started to impair your hearing princess?" Heather countered.

Courtney stood up from her seat, "If one more person calls me princess I swear to God!"

"What are you going to do?" Alejandro asked, "Throw your paperwork at us?"

"I'm sure that'd be more than enough to bring you down Alejandro." Duncan said.

"That mohawk looks good on you Duncan. I'm sure all those fighters that are paid to not fight back can at least now take solace that the boy they're allowing to wildly flail weak little jabs at them doesn't look like a total pussy anymore." Alejandro mocked.

Duncan gave his shoulder a quick stretch, "Why don't you come over here and I can show you just how weak those little jabs are."

At that moment the doors began to open again. Duncan quickly took his feet off the table and Courtney, who realized she was still standing, sat down. Out from the opening came Noah. "Oh hey, don't let me being here stop all your fun." Noah insisted. He paused in the doorway. "You're all looking good. Let me guess," He saw the wetness on Alejandro's shirt. "Well Alejandro and Heather have greeted each other. I bet Courtney's been called Princess at least two times." Noah then walked right over and sat down in the Fife's chair, next to Courtney.

Duncan just then noticed that everyone else sat down in their appropriate seat immediately. He turned back to examine his chair to see if there was an indication or anything that he didn't see. But there was nothing and he turned back, "Did I miss a memo or something?" He said softly, mostly to himself.

"You're as observant as ever Noah. Now if only you could do something as good that's actually productive or helpful in anyway." Alejandro pointed out.

"Where's the fun in that? Plus, you're one to talk. It's not like you've ever done anything worth a damn in your entire life Alejandro. At least I've read a book and had an abstract thought before. I wouldn't worry about it though; having thoughts does not prevent you from being a miserable human being. Take Heather for example." To which Heather reached over and grabbed the water in front of Duncan and tossed it at Noah. Much of the water splashed off of Noah onto Courtney.

"My point exactly."

Courtney stood up from her seat to examine what had been spilt on her. "God damn it Heather! You must be the biggest failure of a person ever. Can you do anything right?"

"Oh please, like I care about any kind of feedback from someone who's been living a fantasy their entire fucking life. Guess what? You're never going to become Queen. Stop acting like it! We're sick of it." Heather barked at her.

"I think I'm sensing some hostility in this room." Noah pointed out.

"Don't you fucking start Noah!" Duncan was quick to say. "Otherwise I'm going knock your teeth in for good."

"Whoops!" Noah called out tossing his arms in the air. "You have me real scared. That may have worked five years ago when I gave a shit about your pathetic threats, but, really? It's just sad now. To give Alejandro some credit, when he threatens to fuck your servant girl, you know he's going to follow through on it.

Heather immediately stood up from her seat. "If anyone! And I mean anyone brings that up again I will personally castrate them!" She screamed staring directly at Alejandro.

Alejandro stood up as well. "Hey! I didn't bring it up! It's old news anyway. I got much bigger fishes to fry and bitches to bang." Heather took a swipe at Alejandro from across the table. He leaned back, and easily dodged the blow. "Aw, you're so cute when you go into feline mode."

Heather paused for a second and was still. She covered her face with her hand. "When you just called me cute, a little vomit came up and into my mouth."

"Will you two stop it!" Courtney called out.

"Yes please. Save us Courtney." Duncan tapped his foot in annoyance on top of the table. "How about you also give us a speech about how we're all worthless other than you. That'll make things so much better."

"At what point do I come in with my patronizing?" Noah asked raising his hand.

"That's it!" Duncan yelled getting up from his seat. Just then the doors began to open and everyone rushed to sit back into their seats.

Standing in the doorway, the king Chris stood with a smile on his face. Chris was a man in his early forties. He wore a long blue coat that dragged on the floor behind him. In his right hand, he held a cane, and he tapped it on the ground as he walked. Slowly, he made his way towards the table. The five of them sat still in their seats as he approached. He took the seat at the end of the table, and tapped his cane twice on the floor.

"Hey kids. How's it going? Y'all doing well?" He spoke casually.

"Everything has been outstanding your excellence," Courtney spoke, bowing her head.

"Right, right, of course it is princess." He laughed loudly, as if he had told a great joke. Noah chuckled to himself over it. The rest of them were silent. Courtney did not move; she was frozen like a statue.

"What about you Duncan? I like the new hair cut. Real badass," Chris said casually.

Duncan put his hand to his head, as if self-conscious of his look. "Thank you, your highness."

"I hope you had a good trip here Heather." Chris wondered.

"It went okay you highness. Although you should have seen what they pass off as a rare steak when travelling, it was awful." Heather replied sounding much more confident than the other two.

"Well, I'm sure you dealt with it in a calm, cool, collected manner." Chris said with a chuckle. He then turned to Alejandro as if to ask him something but stopped himself. "Noah, what you been reading man?"

"A book of elves and dwarfs your highness. It's not very good, not my kind of fantasy." Noah spoke.

"Right," Chris clapped his hands. "Enough formalities. Lets get down to business."

Everyone around the table held their breath. A pervasive silence filled the room. They all stared towards the ground, too afraid to look in each others' eyes. Alejandro's shoulders twitched. Heather held her hands tightly together. Duncan rubbed his legs harshly. Courtney continued to sit perfectly still. Her head still bowed.

The silence was broken by Noah. He raised his arm into the air.

"Yes, shrimp." Chris acknowledged him.

"One of us is missing," Noah mentioned. He pointed to the empty chair next to Duncan. Everyone looked up. No one else seemed to have noticed. "Where's Izzy?"

"Good. Question. Noah!" Chris exclaimed. He slowly got up from his chair and walked to the window with his back facing the teens. "The six of you have had the easiest, safest and nicest lives out of anyone in the entire nation over the past 17 years. The amount of protection, wealth, leisure, and power you wield, have given you lives that I could have only dreamed that someone could live under my rule. And you six have no one but yourselves to thank for all that you have. No one but yourselves. Because you are the pillars of peace that this nation has rested atop the past 17 years. If even but one of those pillars were to have not existed, than the entire nation would have collapsed."

Chris turned back and faced them. "But with any support system, there is bound to be decay. After the past 17 years that decay has been happening and it is time to reinforce those pillars. That reinforcement comes in the shape of marriage. Your marriages will guarantee that this nation will stand tall long for years to come!" Chris walked up to the table and slammed his fist down. "That is why you are here today! That is what we are here to do! You are the pillars, I am the engineer to oversee the reinforcement to make sure it is a strong as can be. You've waited 17 long years, your parents have waited, your domains have waited, the whole nation has waited, but they wait no longer, the time is now!"

All five teens were completely speechless, deer in the headlights, balls of anxiety. Chris sat back down onto his chair and stretched out before sinking in it. "That's the speech I would have given but there's been a change of plans."

"What?" Courtney blurted out.

"You know what whole thing I went on about with the pillars and how if it wasn't six than it wouldn't have worked? As Noah has pointed out, there is only five you here."

"What's happened?" Alejandro also could not help blurt out.

"Izzy's run away." Chris press his fingers against his forehead. "In fact she ran away several months ago." Everyone was in complete shock. "We've kept it very secret, only a small few know. We've sent our best personnel after her but so far they haven't found her. You all know just how important you are and thus gravity of the situation. We're changing our plans accordingly."

"In what way?" Duncan asked with genuine curiosity.

"Well, all the festivities involving you kids are right out the window. In fact we're taking you out of the capital all together first thing tomorrow morning. The story will go that you six, now having been paired decided to show your dedication to God first, to thank him for your miracle birth. You will be going on a month long pilgrimage out in buttfuck nowhere, where no one can come into any contact with you whatsoever. That will hopefully give us long time to track down our current leads and hopefully find Izzy before you get back."

"What about the engagements? Aren't you going to tell us who you've chosen?" Heather needed to know.

Chris grabbed his cup and took a sip of water. "Yeah, no. The decree specifically states that all six of you must be present. It's pretty pointless anyway, like I said you're going to be off in the wilderness for the next month so no point trying to keep up any appearances. You will only have one companion each, whoever it is is your discretion. You all can wait another month right?" The teens were silent but Noah nodded his head slightly. "Good. Now for tonight you will be lockdown. You are not allowed to leave the private noble quarters wing of the castle. Don't even think try to escape to the festivities down in the city, that wing will be very heavily guarded."

He stood up in his seat. "Right. That's everything. You'll leave at sunrise. I will not see you off. Have a nice evening." With that, he grabbed his cane, and began to move towards the doors. Slowly the stone doors were pried open as he approached. Once he reached he doorway, he turned around, faced the teens, and flashed them a smile. The doors closed behind him.

The five teens sat quietly. Their bickering silenced.

_Afterword:_

_Not much to say about this chapter really, except in the story description where it says they despise each other, they really do. Thank you everyone who have left a reply, follow or favourite. We love to hear what you think so make sure to leave a review._


	3. Night In the Castle

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, mature humour, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 3: Night in the Castle

**Alejandro's Room**

Alejandro stood naked in front of a mirror. He was inside his personal room in the castle. It was rather large, with a sleeping and living area. "My apologies women of the capital. I know how much you've longed to gaze at this magnificent sight, but not this year I'm afraid."

"You might want to say that a little bit louder, I don't think they heard you." Trent said lounging on a couch behind Alejandro strumming away at his lute.

Alejandro kept staring at himself. "I'd scream it to the heavens if it meant they could all hear my devotion."

"But only the pretty ones."

Moving away from the mirror, Alejandro walked over to the single window in the room and looked out. "My devotion knows no bounds Trent. Of course logistically speaking I'd only be able to grant personal connection and interaction with a select few and those would have to be the apex of human specimens. It would only be fair to God to thank him for his most beautiful pieces of work."

"You are a saint for the ages, m'lord."

"What are you even doing here Trent? Shouldn't you be out in the capital with all the festivities slaying hearts with that magnificent weapon of love with you."

Trent looked down at his lute. "Alas, I am as trapped as you. Personal convoys are not permitted to leave the castle."

"Ah then we are both birds in the same cage."

"You know m'lord, there are plenty of servants and guards that roam this wing of the castle. Sure the choices are limited but seeing as this is the castle. There are bound to be plenty pretty women just waiting for a lord to come and sweep them off their feet."

"You're right!" Alejandro moved to the door. "I have been given a gift from God, an extra month of to do as I please and I'm just standing here moping, no more!" He flung the door open and rushed out of the room with confidence. About three seconds later he came triumphantly walking back in, "forgot my clothes!"

**Heather's Room**

"M'lady?"

"I swear to God Gwen, if you don't shut the fuck up, I'm going to skin you alive."

"I'm just curious. You seem so bummed out. Aren't you glad you have another month of freedom?" She asked.

Heather laid back on her bed. The light night gown fluttered over her skin. "Yes, maybe, probably." She took a deep breath. "It's probably just this whole castle. It always messes me up. It's just so fucking depressing. It sucks the life out of me. It sickens me. I feel like vomiting."

"Just don't vomit on those sheets. They take hours to clean." Gwen was pacing around the room picking up the clothes tossed across the floor. "How is it possible for someone to make such a big mess in such a short period of time?" she said to herself.

Heather sat up. "I need some fresh air." She stood from her bed, and opened a cabinet. She pulled out a pipe, a small round oil lamp and a leather pouch. She lit the oil lamp on a candle. "If you're still here when I get back, I will vomit on you," She said to Gwen as she headed to the door.

"Don't worry. I'll work extra hard to get out of here before you return. Nothing would make me happier." Gwen flashed Heather a smile. Heather mouthed _go die_.

Heather left her room and walked to the open balcony. Heather took out her tobacco from the pouch, and stuffed the pipe. Using the oil lamp, she lit a taper. She angled the taper downwards to light the tobacco in her pipe. Slowly, she inhaled, and let the smoke escape her mouth in one slow breath. She looked towards the sky. It was a clear night. The moon was full.

"Smoking a pipe? That's not very lady-like," Duncan said behind her, walking onto the balcony. He wore his thick dark brown leather sleeveless shirt.

"Why don't you come a little closer, so I can throw you off." She spoke harshly.

"I'd rather not," he admitted.

"What are you doing out here?" She asked.

"Getting some fresh air. I'm not particularly fond of being caged in." A gust of wind blew past. He shivered. "God damn," he commented, "it's cold out here. How are you so calm wearing just that?" he said referring to Heather's light night gown.

"Cold doesn't affect me," she said matter of fact. She inhaled once more from her pipe.

"It's probably because you're such a cold hearted bitch." He rubbed his arms, before yelling spontaneously "Ahh! This is so fucking frustrating! I can't believe that Izzy got out!" He kicked the wall.

"Jealous?"

"Fuck no. But I would sure like to knock her one in the face." He calmed down a little. "Are we really so bad that she would risk sending the kingdom to turmoil, just to get out of marrying us?"

"Yes," she said immediately. "Absolutely."

"I'm not sure what I was expecting by asking you that..." Duncan admitted. "What are your thoughts on the matter?"

"Well," she began. "I could get used to the silence. It was much calmer and quieter today when we all met in the royal hall without Izzy around."

"True."

"Really, I couldn't care less. Let her do whatever the fuck she wants. I just hope it stops affecting me soon." She took a final puff from her pipe, and dumped the tobacco off the edge.

**Corridor**

Gwen walked down the winding corridor. Torches aligned the right side and doors on the left. Every few doors there would be a guard posted in front of it. They stared straight forward which made Gwen uncomfortable, so she mainly stared down at the floor. With a thump she collided with someone walking in front of her and fell back onto the ground. "Oh my, I am so sorry!" she mustered before looking up and seeing Alejandro standing in front of her with a large grin.

He reached down his hand, she was shocked to see another heir like Heather. Slowly she reached her out and lightly grabbed his hand. He then pulled her up with such force that she collided with him again but he wrapped his arm around her so that she was pressed right up against him. His face was only a few inches away from hers as she stared into his intense eyes. "Hello." He spoke softly.

Quickly he broke their embrace which almost sent Gwen back onto the ground. "Where are my manners?" Alejandro said shaking his head. He then took a bow, "Alejandro of House Lothan," He introduced himself.

"I know who you are." Gwen uttered not knowing what to say

"Unfortunately I don't know you are. Who do I have the privilege to be in presence of my fair maiden?"

"Um, Gwen, m'lord."

Alejandro lifted up Gwen's hand. "Gwen, what a most beautiful name, fitting for such a beautiful girl." He gave Gwen's hand a light kiss.

Gwen blushed, "Thank you, m'lord."

Slowly Alejandro lowered Gwen's hand but did not quite let it go yet. "Now tell me, what is it like to live in the capital?"

"Oh, I'm not from the capital m'lord!" Gwen was quick to correct him.

"I see, and where could such a beautiful flower like yourself be from?"

"House Strathclyde's court, m'lord. I am the personal servant of lady Heather."

Alejandro's eyes widened. "H...H...Heather's personal servant?" He stuttered. The colour drained from his face.

"Yes m'lord," Gwen smiled.

Alejandro slowly started to step backwards, before turning around and sprinting down the corridor. Gwen stood still, and watched him. A confused look painted her face.

**Outside of Courtney's Room**

Noah walked slowly through the hall. He came into view of Courtney's door with Bridgette standing guard outside. She was wearing her full steel armour. Once at Courtney's door, Noah stopped. He waited for Bridgette to open it, but she stayed still and cleared her throat. "Really?" Noah asked. Shaking his head, he knocked gingerly.

"Come in," Courtney called from the inside.

He opened the door and walked into the room. Behind him, the door slammed shut, and he could hear the sound of a key locking it.

The bedroom was long and thin. At the end, a large four post bed was draped with red silk drapes. An assortment of ornate wardrobes and cabinets lined the walls. Courtney sat deep in a satin arm chair in front of a large fire place with a small fire burning. Arranged beside her was an empty matching chair, and a round table with a bottle of wine and two large filled glasses. She wore a long dress with gold seams. In her lap, a book laid open. "I see you got my message," she said calmly. She closed the book and placed it on the floor.

Noah walked over, and took the seat opposite her. "Yup, sure did." He grabbed one of the glasses of wine, and took a sip. "I think you should be a little more careful in the future though."

"Why is that?"

"I think you used some of the wrong symbols in the royal secret code." He placed the note on the table. "See here?" He pointed at the symbol of a snake. "This is the cobra snake symbol; I think you meant the viper snake symbol."

"Yeah?" She said, looking intensely at the sheet.

"That is, so long as you were meaning to say 'come over here or else I'll cut off your balls' and not what you wrote: 'come over here or else I'll suck on your balls'." Noah informed her.

Courtney immediately grabbed the piece of paper crumpled it up and threw it into the fire with all her might. "That never happened!" She threatened Noah. She then grabbed her glass of wine. "Now, lets get down to business." She drank down the whole glass, and set it back on the table. "Did you know about Izzy's disappearance?" she asked firmly.

Noah laughed. "You're adorable when you try to sound threatening." He finished his own glass. He placed it on the table, and poured himself another. "Would you like some more?" he asked, waving the bottle towards her. She frowned, but nodded. He filled her glass to the top. "Of course I didn't know. If that kind of information fell into my lap, surely I would have shared it."

Courtney sighed. "It's just strange to me that they were able to keep this so well hidden. Our parents knew for what? Months? And we never caught a whiff of it? I can't believe that."

"I think Chris kept it tightly under wrap. Our parents didn't know, or at least, mine did not. I monitor every message that reaches my father. There was nothing about Izzy."

"Still, they probably have a secret message system. Something which gets under your radar. How else would they distribute the list of who we shall marry?"

Noah took another sip of his wine. "Right."

"Argh!" Courtney held her head. "I just can't believe this. Our entire lives have been leading to this point, and she ruins it. That girl could never sit still, but this is ridiculous! She's putting the entire kingdom at risk. You saw how disappointed Chris was. He totally thinks we failed him. We ruined his plans to reinforce the pillars."

"More with the pillars? Seriously? That analogy doesn't work at all! Who reinforces pillars by combining them? Six pillars are way stronger than three pillars," Noah butted in. He had a smug look on his face. But, Courtney stared him down. "Sorry," he quickly apologized, and took another sip of his wine.

"Chris was right though. We've been given so many privileges in our lives. Our only responsibility has been to get married. How could we fail such a simple task? Are we really that worthless?" She covered her head with her hands.

"Well," Noah started, "Why don't we go after her?"

"What?"

"You're right. This has been our only responsibility, and we failed. We need to fix it. The only way to do that is to find Izzy ourselves. Chris is sending us of into the wilderness for a month. We could go off looking, and no one would realize it. If we don't find her, we just need to be back by the end of the month. No one would be the wiser."

"But...but..." Courtney struggled with the idea. "But that would mean disobeying the king. We can't do that!"

"It's not really disobeying him. We have to go on a pilgrimage right? He never said what the pilgrimage had to consist of. Either we look for Izzy during it, and serve the king by saving his kingdom. Or, we make camp, and drink ourselves stupid for a month. One of those serves the king better than the other. Plus we have to do everything in our power to make sure Izzy is found by the end of the month. Otherwise everything in our lives will have been in vain. That would be a far greater failure for Chris. It can't be that hard to find Izzy anyways. Their problem in finding her is just that they don't know how to think like her. Thankfully, we know her better than anyone. Just think about it."

Courtney sighed. "You're right. There's no way we can fail Chris like that. And she was always the first one found when we played hide and seek together when we were kids. She had no patience, and was always bustling. How much harder could this be?"

"Just as long as when we find her you don't try to send her any messages. We don't want her running further away due to any unwanted sexual advances." Noah said.

"Fuck you," Courtney spoke. She sat up in her chair enough to lift up her right foot and slam it into the front of Noah's calf. Noah let of a whimper of pain and fell forward out of his chair. Courtney stood up, "Now let's gather the others!"

**Corridor**

Bridgette stood idly in front of Courtney's door. She heard the sound of someone running down the corridor. She looked to her left to see Alejandro sprint around the corner. The second Alejandro spotted Bridgette he immediately stopped and recomposed himself. He coughed into his fist, and confidently waltzed over to her direction. "It is rare to see such a beauty standing guard," he commented. "It must be my lucky day. I love a woman in a full suit of armour. It leaves so much to the imagination."

"Um, thank you? M'lord." Bridgette muttered trying to think of a response.

"Although the best part of a woman wearing armor is taking it off. All of that weight off of your shoulders. Free from the sweat covered leather clinging to your skin..." Alejandro approached her slowly, speaking just above a whisper.

"M'lord!" Bridgette spoke, blushed, pushing Alejandro back.

"Bashful, huh?" He commented. "What a wonderful contradiction: is the strong guard really a shy girl underneath?"

Bridgette smiled. "I'm not quite that soft."

"Good," he said. He ran his fingers along the edges of her armour. "I like stern women more. Ones who have a real scrappy spirit. They have a better taste for life."

"Well, I think you're in luck in that regard," Bridgette spoke with her arms on her hips. "But, I warn you, it'll take a little more than that." She pushed him back again.

"I'm only asking to try. Some people say I'm a wizard. Let me show you some of my magic."

_Afterword: _

_Bardic Jester here. I hope you're enjoying the story written by me and Nyhlus. This is my first time writing a Total Drama story, and, so far, I'm having a lot of fun with it. I know it's a little early in the story, but I would love to hear if there's anything in particular you like about the story. We're always looking for feedback. _

_If you'd like to read any of my stories, you can find my account in Nyhlus' favourite author's tab. My stories are usually very unlike this one. They're mostly drab Harry Potter stories. _

_Anyways, thanks to everyone who left a review! I really appreciate your comments. _

_Please leave a review. _

_Thanks. BJ. _


	4. The Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 4: The Plan

The old rusty hinges grinded together as the wooden door was opened. The room was pitch black except for the small lantern being held by Courtney standing in the doorway. Walking past her was Noah carrying a touch who walked around the room to lite torch after torch, illuminating bookshelf after bookshelf. Some of the shelves had layers of dust and cobwebs on them. The entire library looked as if it had not been opened in months.

As Courtney entered the room, Duncan, Alejandro, and Heather followed behind. "I never knew there was library in the noble quarters wing." Duncan mentioned.

Everyone stopped moving and stared at him. "What are you talking about? This is where we had to do all of our studying during our tutoring here." Courtney said confused. There were three tables each with an odd number of chairs around them. Each of the five grabbed a chair and brought it to the middle table.

"What? Oh right, no, I totally studied." Duncan groaned. Alejandro, Courtney, and Noah brought their chair to the right side in that order. Heather brought her chair to the left side across from Alejandro. Duncan just plopped his chair at the end and sat down. When he looked up he saw everyone staring directly at him. "Are you guys serious about this set position shit?" Rolling his eyes he moved his chair next to Heather on the left side and sat down.

"Alright, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here." Courtney began.

"In like the middle of the god damn night." Duncan needed to point out.

"Yes well it took forever to find where this asshole was." Courtney said pointing to her right at Alejandro. "Anyways, first order of business: who the fuck brought Heather? I gave specific instructions not to include her."

Heather rolled her eyes. "I came on my own accord."

"Why? You're not going to help us no matter what I say, right?" Courtney asked.

"Of course not. I'm just here to see what the hell you guys are up to. I need to know what I'm not going to help you with."

Courtney just sighed. "We're going to find Izzy."

"What do you mean?" Alejandro asked.

"We're going to look for her."

Duncan sat back in his chair, and kicked his feet on the table. "Why the hell would we do that?"

"Because she's one of us. And it's our responsibility to the king. Think of it as our real pilgrimage. It's our chance to save the kingdom, and fulfil our destinies," Courtney said confidently. Heather burst into laughter. She wailed loudly. Everyone expected her to stop quickly, but she kept going. She slipped off her chair, and laid on the ground holding her stomach, continuing to cry out. "See? This is why she was not to be invited."

"Do you really want to do this? I mean, I was sort of looking forward to a month of leisure," Alejandro admitted. "It's our last month free, you know?"

"Free? Would we? I mean, look at it this way: the king wants us to stay put in the forest. We'd be pretty much trapped in a cage with one another. That's worse than being stuck with just one person. And what if they don't find her? How long do you think they'll keep us holed out? We have the best chance of finding her. We know her better than anyone."

"Why don't we just run away then?" Alejandro asked.

The room grew silent. Heather adjusted herself on the ground, and retook her seat.

"We'd never make it," Noah jumped in. "They're only keeping it silent about Izzy because they think they can fix the problem. If we all leave, then there's nothing to save. We'd be hunted down with the full force of Chris's army, not just the capital agents out there looking for Izzy."

"Right. If only one pillar fails, the other five with continue to support it until the sixth's fixed. If you remove all six, the whole thing will collapse." Courtney added. Noah groaned at her use of the analogy.

"You know," Duncan said, "I think we should go after her. Not for pillars or whatever the fuck you're talking about. I'm just mad that she got out. I've had to continue my duties. I've still had to work. And she's escaped? Fuck that. If I have to suffer through all of this, then she should to. I'll drag her back if I have to." He pumped his fist in the air.

"Well, that's certainly one way to look at it," Noah said sarcastically.

Duncan grabbed his forehead, "Although, I could have gotten use to not having her around. She is kind of crazy. I mean Courtney, you've hated her the most these last few years. I'm surprised you're so gung-ho about going and finding her."

"I didn't hate her anymore than I hate the rest of you." Courtney admitted. "I would just get so angry that no matter what we were told or expected to do, she would never do it! And no matter what I would say to her she'd just completely ignore that too, hell she'd make it worse."

"Duh," Heather called out. "She was always pushing your buttons. She did that because you got so angry, it was like a game to her."

"Yeah, it's like me and the neanderthal." Noah agreed.

"What did you call me?" Duncan asked standing up, he reached across the table, and grabbed the front of Noah's shirt.

"Neanderthal. I guess I should explain, so they're primitive, stupid, not really humans... Wait I'm sorry I should probably spell it out first because I know how confusing words over ten letters can be for-," Noah rambled until Duncan winded up to punch him in the face.

Courtney quickly moved between them. "Stop it! What is wrong with you guys? You're on the same side. Are you really that prone to fighting?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"If we were to go after her," Alejandro spoke, switching topics, "where would we even start? Do we know anything? When she left? Where she headed?"

Courtney sat back in her chair. "I'm not sure about that. All I know is from what Chris said earlier." She stood up confidently. "But, I'm sure we could think of something. There must be some clue. We know her better than anyone right?"

"Do we though?" Duncan wondered. "None of us knew she escaped. Chris' agents probably interviewed her servants, her parents, those close to her. They probably know far more than we do about where she probably is."

"That's true..." Courtney sat down again.

"What about Justin?" Heather whispered. Everyone turned towards her. "What?" She said venomously.

"Justin?" Noah repeated, sounding confused. "Who's Justin?"

"Did she not tell anyone else?" Heather asked, looking around the room. "Wow. That's surprising." Everyone nodded in agreement. "He's a boy she was gushing about last year. Apparently he was really attractive. She talked about going to see him in secret. He lives in Kirkcaldy, that major port town in the capital region."

"Did... Did... Heather just help us?" Duncan needed to point out.

"Why the hell would Izzy tell you of all people?" Alejandro asked.

Heather shrugged. "Beats me. She probably wanted to bring it up with another girl. And it was either me or Buzzkill McTotally would have told on her Courtney."

"Wait, are you saying Izzy might have ran away not because of the marriage decree but because of a boy? That doesn't make any sense. Are we talking about the same Izzy here?" Courtney asked.

"You know, I agree with Courtney here." Duncan chimed in. "Why would she put the entire kingdom's peace in jeopardy because of a bootycall?"

"Because she's Izzy? It's that kind of crazy. And I don't know, I can kind of understand it." Alejandro spoke.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Of course you would understand putting an entire country's future in peril just to get laid. You're just that level of sick in the head."

"Who's to say it is purely sexual for Izzy? For all we know she could be in love, which you wouldn't know the first thing about Courtney. And love definitely has the ability to change the entire landscape of a nation. It has before and it will surely happen again." Alejandro countered.

"Right, like you're some expert in love." Courtney spoke with disgust. "I hate to break it to you Alejandro, but a girls heart is not found in her pants."

"A girl's heart can be found in many places Courtney, many places."

Noah waited a second before speaking, "Okay if you two are done bickering. I think this is probably our best lead. Definitely something the castle doesn't already know, which increases the chances considering they haven't found her. Plus it makes sense for Izzy to have a greater reason to run away other than just the marriage decree. I mean I'm sure we've all considered running away because of it but we're still here."

"Alright, well, I guess, it's a good enough place to start looking at least." Courtney conceded. "We're all agreed then, we're going to find Izzy?" Everyone gave the most halfhearted and unenthusiastic nod. "Good enough. We can all leave now."

Everyone else jumped out of their seat and started to walk out muttering to themselves:

"Oh thank god..."

"If I ever have to be in the same room with all you again..."

"Next time Courtney knocks on my door I'm jumping..."

_Afterword:_

_I guess you can say this is the end of Act 1. Next chapter they leave the castle. Thank you everyone who has reviewed the story. We love and strive on the feedback, so let us know what you think of the story so far. (We're open to criticism, as long as it's constructive)_


	5. The Pilgrimage Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, mature humour, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 5: The Pilgrimage Begins

The party gathered at the stables just before dawn. Light was slowly seeping from the horizon. The morning dew hung on the blades of grass. They quickly saddled their horses, and buckled the small bags and pouches they were able to bring. No one said a word.

One of the personal attendants to the king brought down a letter. He handed it to Courtney, and walked back into the castle swiftly. She broke the seal, and read the instructions:

_You will gallop out of the Capital. Do not stop for anything. Once you are a few miles out, turn north towards the Lomond Hills. In the Drumdreel forest, you will find the Maiden Fort, the beginning of the Tabard pilgrimage. The supplies necessary for your trip will be found there. It is imperative you reach it by nightfall. _

_His Highness Chris Mclean_

_Beannachd Dé Rígh Alban_

Courtney passed around the letter. Once everyone had a chance to read it, Noah passed the letter back to her. She brought it over to a torch, and lit it on fire. The parchment burnt quickly. She dropped it onto the ground and mounted her horse. The others did the same. As the sun started to rise, they began to ride.

They rode hard through the capital. The roads were narrow and muddy. Their horses formed an uninterrupted line. Only a few feet separated them. In the front, Geoff rode in full steel armour. At the back Bridgette, also wearing her armor, guarded the rear. They rested their hands on the scabbards buckled to their belts. Ready to attack if the need arose.

In the country side, their pace lessened. The space between each other grew. They had a hard day of riding ahead of them. No one said anything. An uncharacteristic silence followed the line.

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the Drumdreel forest. The sun was approaching the horizon once more. Geoff lifted up his hand, signalling to stop. The horses formed a circle, and the riders dismounted. When Noah stepped off his horse, his leg immediately gave out, and he fell onto his face. Duncan, who did not appear to be suffering any fatigue, laughed at Noah's expense. "Just as expected of the wimp! Heather's stronger than you are!"

Heather slowly dismounted, and flinched once she reached the ground. Her legs were also suffering. She breathed deeply.

"We'll be resting here for the moment," Geoff announced to the group. "Rest your legs. We'll begin riding again shortly."

"Do we know where we're headed in the forest? I've never heard of whatever we're supposed to find." Alejandro mentioned, stretching his arms and legs.

"Maiden Fort," Noah spoke. Eva stood next to him, giving him support to stand. "It's an old hill fort. I think the shrine to Becket is located there. Hence it's purpose as the start of the Tabard Pilgrimage."

"Thanks for the history lesson dork," Duncan said, uninterested. "Do you know where it is?"

"No idea. I've only read about it."

"Great..." Heather groaned. "Wait, does any of you imbeciles know where it is?" No one said anything. "Why did no one say earlier?"

"Everyone read the instructions with such confidence, I assumed you all knew where it was," Alejandro admitted.

"I didn't recognize _any_ of the names," Duncan spoke. Everyone looked at him. "What?"

"Maybe there were more instructions?" Alejandro asked. "Did anyone check the back for a map?"

"Too late for that. Princess over here already dealt with that possibility by setting our only guidance on fire," Heather said.

Courtney looked from left to right. "What? That was my first time receiving a secret decree from the king. Aren't you supposed to destroy them right away?" Courtney tried to look innocent. "Right? Noah?" She asked.

"Honestly, I couldn't care less. I'm just glad to be off of that pain machine. Just imagine I said something snarky or sarcastic if you like." He laid down in the grass. "Why don't we send knights tweedle dee and tweedle dumb off to find it?" Noah asked referring to Geoff and Bridgette.

Geoff stood at attention. "No offence m'lord, but I do not feel comfortable leaving the safety of you five in the hands of that honourless mercenary." He said in reference to Eva. She clenched a fist but remained at Noah's side.

"In less polite terms," Duncan continued. "Ain't no way I'm trusting that man-beast, amazon, brute, whatever IT is. Seriously Noah I know it's like your only friend but this isn't the kind of mission that requires a ferocious dog."

"You're one to talk." Noah barked back, "Only reason that knucklehead is a high knight is because of his association with you. I'd much rather have a protector who is known in the land as fearless fighter and not the dimwit who's gotten last place in the last two festival knights games."

Courtney put her foot down. "Will you two stop?" She turned to Duncan. "If you're that afraid why don't we send Noah's brute and Bridgette off to look for this fort. It's a fort right? It can't be too hard to find. Plus, we have no time to spare, the sun will set soon, and once it's set, we'll be stuck out here for the night with no supplies."

"She has a name, you know," Noah spoke with frustration. Courtney did not acknowledge him. "Whatever. You think you can find it Eva?"

"Easy," Eva said harshly. Within a second, she was mounted and off into the forest. Bridgette, realizing she was being left behind, quickly scurried to her horse, and headed off herself.

"Those useless idiots better find this place soon. I hate the idea of sleeping here the night." Heather commented with irritation.

Courtney snorted. "You're one to talk. At least Bridgette is looking for it, unlike your companion. Is she your new servant girl? Are you really that incapable of taking care of yourself."

"Well sorry for bringing someone who will actually be of some use. Do we really need knights for a pilgrimage? What are we going to be attacked by? Trees? Or do you think Izzy's been captured in some far off castle by an evil king? Don't be ridiculous. Servants will actually serve purpose while we're out here."

"She's being really useful right now," Courtney said dismissively.

"Some tasks are better fitted for you barbarians, I'll admit," Heather spoke with venom. "Now, if you all could leave me alone. It's worse enough that I'm stuck here with you. The thought of talking with you may be more than I can handle."

"I'll admit," Duncan added, not willing for the topic to be dropped. "You sure do like living dangerously bringing your personal servant along. Playing with fire right?" He smirked. "Isn't the last thing you want to do is leave your servant around that beast," he pointed towards Alejandro.

"Alejandro will be staying far away from Gwen. If he knows what's good for him, he'll never talk, interact, or acknowledge her presence," She spoke firmly.

"Why is that?" Gwen asked. She paused tending to the horses, and leaned back onto one. Her blue and black hair swayed in the wind. "I met lord Alejandro last night. He seemed nice."

"What..." Heather said. Pure hatred spewing from her words.

Alejandro was not able to hear Heather. He had already started running once Gwen finished speaking. By the time Heather turned to him, he had reached the trees, jumped over a fallen log, and showed no sign of slowing down.

"I'm impressed he can still run like that," Noah spoke to himself. He messaged his sore legs.

"That mother fucker!" Heather yelled. She kicked a tree close to her repeatedly.

"M'lady," Gwen asked, sounding confused. "What are you doing? Do you mind explaining whats going on or are you just going to go into another one of your bitch fits?"

The rest of them froze. Courtney stuttered: "d...did..."

"If you ask one more question Gwen, I will tear off your fingers nails and make a necklace with them," Heather spoke harshly.

Gwen threw her hands in the air. "Fine. Don't answer my question. Just try not to get your chemise into a twist; I have to clean it later." She started to tend back to the horses. Heather continued to kick the tree.

Courtney leaned in close to Duncan and whispered. "Did Heather just let that servant girl talk back to her like that?"

"I'm not sure." Duncan replied. "Maybe I've lost my ability to hear words correctly. Did you just ask if Heather let that servant girl talk back to her like that?" To which Courtney nodded. "Huh. For some reason I still don't feel convinced."

"You!" Heather yelled, pointing to Trent. Her anger had not subsided. She needed a target to direct it towards. "Who the fuck are you? Are you Alejandro's servant?" She yelled.

Trent was sitting at the base of a tree. He held his lute in his hands, and plucked a few strings. "No," he said calmly.

"What are you then? His minstrel?"

"You could say that. You want to hear a song? I'm working on a new one. It's called 'Hey Jude'. I think it's going to be really good."

"Ahhh!" Heather yelled, grabbing her hair.

"Seems like Heather's lost the ability to form thoughts," Noah commented. "I hope Eva gets back soon. She's missing quite the show."

The sound of rustling in a bush nearby alerted everyone. "Don't worry I got this!" Geoff called out as he ran towards it pulling out his sword. A step before the bush he slipped on some mud and fell straight down face first. Out of the foliage came Eva walking, holding the reins of her house following behind her, she simply stepped over Geoff but her horse trotted right on top of him.

"The fort's not too far, Bridgette is already there making preparations. Follow me." Everyone got back onto their horses and followed closely behind Eva.

Duncan helped Geoff out of the mud. "Sorry m'lord, I slipped."

"Way to prove a point." Duncan said giving him a pat on the back. He turned and walked over to his horse as Geoff took a second to take in his words. Geoff then noticed most had already left and was quick to get on his horse and follow on the rear.

Trent sat alone at the base of his tree and continued to strum his lute. Quietly Alejandro came sneaking out of another set of bushes. "Are they gone?" Trent nodded, he and Alejandro then silently got atop their horses and followed the others a decent way back.

Trent continued to strum his lute while ridding right behind Alejandro. _Hey jude, don't be afraid. You were made to go out and get her. The minute you let her under your skin, Then you begin to make it better._

Alejandro soaked in every line.

_Afterword:_

_A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. A special shoutout to _Hope 4 the Boy with the Bread_, _RedEyedWarrior_ for reviewing every chapter so far and _I'll Cover Angel and Collins_ for sharing this story with so many lovely people. This chapter is the beginning of Act 2. I would say there is probably going to be roughly 5 acts in total, of varying size. If you have any comments or questions about this chapter or the story so far, please feel free to let us know in a review or PM, we love to hear them and promise to answer anything we can._


	6. At Maiden Fort

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, mature humour, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 6: At Maiden Fort

They reached Maiden Fort as the sun set. Streaks of rosy clouds streamed along the horizon. The fort was from an age long gone. Sparse stone walls surrounded a steep hill. Near the top, perched above the trees, the remains of a small settlement sat overgrown with grass. The ruins of roundhouses littered the hill.

In the middle, there stood a bronze roundhouse with a caved in roof. Outside of its door, a three foot carving stood in front. Along the carving, Bridgette's sword was resting. She knelt inside, before a stone slab laid flat against the floor: Becket's grave. Geoff unlatched his scabbard, and placed his sword next to Bridgette's. He entered the room, ran his fingers over top of the slab, and spoke the prayer of the high knights. Duncan disarmed himself, and entered with Courtney, Heather and Gwen. They simply knelt around the slab.

Noah paid no attention to the ritual around the shrine. He began to sort the supplies Bridgette found. They had been laid out in one of the more complete houses. A couple folded tents were laid in a corner. An assortment of supplies were thrown of top of the tents. There were sacks containing flint and steel, maps, torches, candles, flasks, oil, parchment, iron pots, spyglasses, barbed hooks, branding iron, feet of rope, waterskins, cases with needle and tread, amongst other things. They were all randomly piled onto one another, as if dumped hastily at the spot. In the opposite corner, there were breads and salted meat next to dozens of neatly arranged bottles of red wine. "Chris sure did have our best interest in mind," Noah said to himself. He corked one of the bottles with his knife, and took a sip.

Eva stayed to watch the others for a moment, before joining Noah in the ruined house. She walked through the door, and Noah threw a bottle of wine at her. "Here. A treat," he said. "We won't be able to bring these with us, but there's no reason to let them go to waist." He continued to take sips out of his.

Eva stuck her thumb into the neck of the bottle, pushing the cork back. She took small sip. "You are strange people. Kneeling and whispering to stones."

"You do not follow the pillars of the religion? It's pretty clear concerning the ritual around starting a pilgrimage like this."

"Where I grew up, the only sense of God rested at the edge of a blade. The holy men would speak to us, but they were never able to make a more convincing argument." She commented. "Why are you not with them m'lord?"

Noah sat on the folded tents. "I only follow that sort of thing at home because of my father. Given the option, I can't be bothered. My whole life I've been told the six of us were brought together by an act of God. I can't bring myself to worship a God that could be so cruel."

"May I ask you a question m'lord?"

"Speak freely," he took an exaggerated gulp.

"Why are you going after Lady Izzy? You've always spoken about hoping to stop the marriages. It seems as if your wish has been granted. Wouldn't finding Izzy negate all of that?"

Noah paused for a moment. He breathed deeply. The wind whistled through the cracked walls. "I have my reasons." He stared at the bottle in his hand.

"Lady Izzy was the girl with red hair, who visited your room often at last years festival, right?"

"Yes."

"Did you care for her?"

Noah snorted. "Not at all. When we were younger, it was more like I took care of her. She was always a trouble maker. A real devilish kid. Always doing her own special kind of antics. She couldn't stand still for a moment. It was a real pain."

"Then why did she come to your room?"

"To bother me, I suspect. The others never liked being around me. Something about my magnetic personality. So, I'd always keep to myself. She always bothered me then. She never liked me being alone. We were close in that sense. I always suspected she only trusted me... well... but..." Noah stood from his spot. "I'm exhausted. Lets grab our bedrolls, and find a place for the night. The tents would take too much time."

Eva nodded, grabbed two bedrolls, and followed Noah out of the house.

**Outskirts of the Fort**

"Sir Geoff!" Bridgette called as they neared each other. "Any sign of danger in the forest?"

"No," He spoke. Geoff had reattached his scabbard to his belt. The heavy armour clanked as he walked. "You don't need to call me 'sir' when we're out here. You can just call me Geoff."

"Okay," She nodded. Bridgette had removed most of her armor. Her brown leather waistcoat she wore under her armour clung loosely to shoulders. Her hair was tied back, to stop it from covering her face while they rode earlier. She fiddled with the hilt of her sword as she walked. "Should we take one more patrol around the fort, and then call it a night?"

"Sounds good to me. We're here in secret so the chances of being attacked are pretty slim. No one comes to these old shrines except monks anyway. There's nothing to steal, at least, not anymore." Geoff said. The two started to walk together. Geoff stood straight. Bridgette eyed him up and down.

She chuckled a little. "It's funny. You're exactly what I picture when I imagine a knight of the high order."

"Really?" He smiled, a little flustered by the compliment.

"Yeah. You know: tall, blonde, stern." She looked him up and down again. "Although..." She grimaced with a smirk.

"Although?"

"Although," she repeated with a nod. "You're not the most coordinated knight correct? I mean, Lady Courtney said you even fell your face when Eva returned." She laughed. "And during the festival knights games, you tended to fail most competitions, at least the ones I saw." She laughed harder. "You're not quite like a high knight in that sense."

Geoff sighed loudly. He scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah..." He sounded despondent. "Well someone's got to lose in the games, or else there wouldn't be a competition. And plus, it's as much a show as a competition."

"Oh," Bridgette realized, "So the games are rigged then?"

Geoff took a second to respond. "Not quite. But the high knights take seniority very seriously, as they take most things seriously. Considering I'm the dashing young stud, it would be considered poor for me to try and show up all those old scared and weary looking knights like Sir Hatchet. I mean I get plenty of fans for just participating. They're the ones that actually need to prove themselves to gain attention."

"So you just need to arrive and the ladies are all over you." Bridgette implied.

"I guess you could say I'm a pretty big deal." Geoff admitted.

Bridgette let out a chuckle. "Being a little conceded aren't we?"

"Hey, who's the one whose actually been watching me compete. Would you like a autograph? I got plenty written on paper in my pack. Sadly I won't be able to hand them out this year as I'm here protecting Duncan so I won't be competing. Which is lucky for you because I always run out so early."

Bridgette gave him a little nudge to his side. "How did you ever become a high knight?"

He looked up at the stars. "A high knight is not a regular military rank as you know. It's gifted rather than rewarded really. I guess I just got lucky."

She stared at his face. "Pardon?"

"Well, even though I had no affinity for it, I was made a squire because of my birth. My father is a good standing noble in the Galloway court. Lord Duncan and I met soon afterwards. He performed full squire duties and training for a few years. But, I do not think he liked it much, since all of the knights went easy on him. Even the squires made sure to pamper him as much as possible. I think it really frustrated him. Since I was so poor at being a knight, I had nothing to hold back. When I sparred with him, I went all out. I think Duncan really liked that. I was the only one who treated him like a serious opponent. We became friends and companions. At my dubbing, I believe my lord Fergus of Galloway assumed it would look better if his son's companion be a member of the high order, so I was admitted." He scratched the back of his head.

Bridgette nodded her head.

"Enough about me though, please, tell me about yourself. How did you end up in Lady Courtney's service?"

"It's a similar tale to yours. I'm not of noble birth. My father works as a blacksmith and craftsman. I became a squire largely due to a personal favour to a knight who owed my father money. It was not expected that I'd become a knight. I was closer to a personal servant. But, this sparked a fire in me. I wanted to prove to them that a low-born could be just as good of a knight as the noblemen. I worked my hands to the bone, and in a competition between the squires before the court, I soundly defeated all of my rivals. Courtney, who watched the event, asked me to spar with her, and help her practice the lessons taught to her in her combat training. I obliged her. After my performance in front of the court, they had to make me a knight, or else suffer the humiliation that a peasant girl beat all of the future knights. I was admitted to the lowest order, fitting for my position, but Courtney demanded I work as her bodyguard."

Geoff laughed. "Sounds like we had opposite stories. You're everything I wish I could be."

"Except you're still a high knight. I'm still of low-birth."

"That is true." Geoff admitted.

They approached the camp. A fire burnt off to the side. Gwen struggled to set up a tent. In front of one of the ruined roundhouses, Eva sat with her legs crossed sharpening a knife. Noah had already went to sleep. She scowled at the two of them as they passed..

"What do you make of her?" Bridgette asked.

"I don't like mercenaries," Geoff spoke harshly. "They have no honour. They're do whatever you like while you're the highest bidder, but that can easily change. They have no problem turning their back on you if the price is right. She's no different. Her relation is with money, not with lord Noah. I think we should keep an eye on her."

"Agreed," Bridgette nodded. A cold wind blew.

**Around the campfire.**

Duncan, Courtney, and Heather sat around a campfire. Courtney wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Heather did not seem to notice the bitter wind. Geoff and Bridgette continued to walk around the camp. Gwen tried desperately to set up a tent. She'd set the wooden poles into the ground, and now was laying the outer layer. Heather was the only one to insist in sleeping in a tent. The others would use the ruins.

"I'm surprised you're sitting with us Heather," Duncan commented, sitting back.

Heather pulled her pipe out of a bag resting next to her. "I'm just here for the fire. Please do me a favour and don't recognize that I'm here." She stuffed the end of the pipe with tobacco, and lit it with a small stick she pulled from the fire.

"I can't believe you can smoke that stuff. Only dirty sailors do that sort of a thing," Courtney commented.

"I can't believe you didn't listen to what I just said," Heather scowled.

"So, what's our plan for tomorrow?" Duncan asked casually. "We're going to look for that Justin bloke right?"

"Yeah. We'll ride in the morning. Luckily, Kirkcaldy is not very far from here. We should make it by noon," Courtney added.

"How exactly are we going to find the guy?" Duncan asked.

"We'll look at the town registry, and knock on his front door I guess," Courtney continued. "Geoff's a high knight, so it shouldn't be a problem to get access to it."

"Do we know his last name?"

"Pitlochry," Heather said. She inhaled from her pipe.

"How do you remember all of this Heather?" Duncan asked, surprised.

"I don't know. It was the first time since we were twelve one of you actually shared with me something personal. Hard to forget something like that." She stood up from her place, and slowly walked towards her tent. The pipe dangling from her lips. The burning stick still rested in her hand. She approached Gwen. "How is the tent coming along?"

"Not much longer m'lady," Gwen spoke. "Not sure why I have to do this. Why can't you just fucking sleep in one of those ruined houses."

Heather looked around. "Those musty old things? People probably died in them. There's no way I'm sleeping in one." She sucked on her pipe, and exhaled towards the sky. "Gwen, when you say you met Alejandro last night, what do you mean?"

"He introduced himself real suave. But, when I told him who I was, he ran down the hallway. Similar to today, I guess. Strange huh?"

Heather chuckled. "Yeah..."

A song played far off in the distance. _Na na na na na na na na na, hey Jude..._

**Far Edge of the Fort**

Trent sat back in his chair. It leaned against the outside wall of one of the destroyed houses. The house was situated right at the outskirts of the fort, on the completely other side from where everyone else was staying. Inside the house, Alejandro was already asleep. Trent strummed his lute lightly as the sound echoed through the fort. The bright moon hung over top of him. He nodded his head along with the rhythm.

"Hey," Gwen whispered. She approach slowly. A blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The black and blue of her mussed hair blew in the wind. She moved against the destroyed house, and sat down next to Trent. Her back leaned on the stone wall. He watched her intently. Once she was right by him, he paused the music. "No. Please. Keep playing. I'm enjoying it." She spoke softly. Trent nodded. She starred up at the starry night.

"You're really good at that," Gwen spoke slowly.

"Thanks," Trent nodded at the compliment.

"I've never really heard songs like that. Although, to be honest, I never heard much music when I was younger."

"Really? I grew up around music," he spoke softly. He changed the song he was playing, something a little bit more upbeat.

"My family was too poor to visit a tavern. Most of what I've listened to are these big band shows this past year that lady Heather brought me to." Gwen explained.

"I couldn't imagine my life without it. I grew up in a tavern my father owned. Every night I'd help out and listen to the travelling musicians that came in."

"Wow. That must have been something special. Did you teach yourself how to play like this from listening to them?"

Trent chuckled. "No, nothing as romantic as that. There was a musician from the south, deep in the Muskoka Empire, who lived at my tavern for a year. He played regular shows every night, and taught me how to play. Most of my songs are variations on ones he showed me."

"Yeah? You must have really respected him."

"Well, at times, yes. He had a tenancy to be really out there. He had this messy long hair, and often wore round spectacles. He liked to talk about peace and love, as if they were personal friends of him. It was strange. He even used to call his songs 'beetles'."

"Beetles? What an ugly name for such pretty songs. Who'd want to compare them to those ugly insects?"

"I've never really understood it myself," Trent admitted. "For a while, I tried to think of a theory to explain it. Maybe he thought beetles were very peaceful? I've given up trying now."

"What was your master's name?"

"Kurt Cobain."

"What a strange name." She sat up straight and stared towards Heather's tent. "Thank goodness the bitch went to bed. I'm not sure I could put up with her any longer. It's much quieter without her around. I can feel relaxed." She pressed her thumb onto her temple.

"You really do not like lady Heather," Trent observed.

Gwen smiled. "I don't think there's a person alive who likes lady Heather. She and I are worse then most, I guess. We're always arguing. She's really annoying and nagging. A total spoiled brat."

"Why does she keep you around, if you're always fighting? Even if no one likes her, I'm sure she'd be able to find a personal servant who would not fight with her."

"Don't ask me. I've been asking myself the same question for the past year. Heather fired her personal servant last year, right after she got back from the solstice festival. She demanded to interview all of the Castle service to find a replacement. All of the girls were bustling; ready to pamper lady Heather to her heart's desire. I was working as a kitchen hand at the time. I hated it. My family's really poor, and nothing sickened me more than serving those rich ass-holes. Everyday I had to convince myself I was doing it for my family to get through the day. When Heather called on me for an interview, I guess I was less convinced than normal that day. It really sickened me the idea of demanding people beg at her feet for a chance to work as her personal slave. So, when I entered the room, I cracked. I called Heather all kinds of names. I told her she sickened me; that all of those rich people are rotten; her position was evil; things like that. She told me to shut up and I left. I packed my belongings, and left the castle expecting to be fired from the kitchen. It was much to my surprise when I received the news the next morning that Heather had chosen me. As much as it felt wrong, she's paying me far beyond what I could earn otherwise. My family has a shot to be a little better off. And, Heather lets me speak my mind. As strange as it may be, it's a little liberating."

"The heirs sure are unique people," Trent said.

"How did you end up in the service of lord Alejandro?"

"He came to my tavern one evening, and heard me play. There were two girls listening closely. Alejandro was impressed and told me to follow him around. That's about it."

"Huh," Gwen said, "There's something really frustrating about that."

Trent smiled. "I have no idea what you mean." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Could you play another one of your songs? Maybe one your master showed you."

"Sure. This was always one of his favorites:_In the town where I was born, lived a man who sailed to sea, and he told us of his life, in the land of submarines... __So we sailed on to the sun, till we found the sea green, and we lived beneath the waves, in our yellow submarine..._

"Wait..." Gwen interrupted. "That... didn't make any sense. What the hell is a submarine?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. Maybe a kind of ship? Or a secret island? Perhaps it's his vision of heaven? It's always been a bit of a riddle. Kurt liked those sorts of things. Do you want me to stop?"

"No, it sounded nice, just a little confusing. Please go on."

"Okay. _We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine, We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine..._"

Gwen shook her head.

_Afterword:_

_So yeah, this chapter we got to flesh out the side characters a little bit more, get some back story. Not much else to say._

_Thank you again everyone for leaving your wonderful reviews. This story is now tied for most reviews of a story with this penname, and will surely surpass Fake Empire after this chapter is posted. It is a bittersweet moment as I am still really proud of Fake Empire and think its the best story I've written. Be sure to check it out if you haven't already, it's quite a different story than this one, a much darker action story, very similar to Hunger Games, so if you liked Hunger Games at all, be sure to check out Fake Empire._

_To answer the Guest review: In chapter two, Noah jokes about how Alejandro slept with Heather's last personal servant, which caused a lot of tension between them. It will be explored in depth as the story progresses._


	7. The Kirkcaldy Market

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, mature humour, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

_Foreword: Tired of short chapters? We'll here's the biggest one yet._

Chapter 7: The Kirkcaldy Market

**The Kirkcaldy Town Centre**

The town centre of Kirkcaldy was surrounded by a sprawling market. Kirkcaldy was the major port town in the capital region. It served as a central hub for domestic and international trade. The town centre was an old brick building with wide arches spread across its exterior. Large silk banners hung from a dozen balconies overlooking the market. A sea of stalls with clay shingled roofs were arranged in a labyrinth around it. People bartering created a buzzing white noise that filled the air.

The party stood around an intimate alleyway off of the town centre. They waited patiently for Geoff to return from the town centre. Everyone wore thick wool cloaks with the hoods up, hoping to conceal their identities. In the alleyway, they were out of the sun. Still, the heat of the market built up.

Heather, in agitation, threw down her hood. "How long is that asshole going to take? I'm burning up!" She fanned her face with her hand.

"Heather! Put your hood up! What if someone recognizes you?" Courtney demanded. She reached for Heather's hood, but Heather swatted away her hand.

"Who? Who would recognize me? I've never even been to Kirkcaldy before! Plus, wearing this outfit, with my hair how it looks, I think I'd be more unrecognizable without it." She untied the front of the cloak, and stretched the front of her shirt forward, hoping for some air.

"If she's doing it, so am I," Alejandro spoke. He put down his hood, and unbuttoned the front of his shirt. He stretched his arms backwards, revealing his exposed chest.

Heather grimaced. "I regret everything..."

"I've never been to Kirkcaldy either," Alejandro commented. He looked around them. "It's pretty massive. There's no market close to this size in my domain. I can't even see the end of it."

"They say every piece of gold in Wawanakwa passes through the Kirkcaldy market," Noah spoke. He pushed back his hood.

"Really?" Alejandro said, surprised.

"I'd believe it," Courtney said. "Every ship that passes through my domain either stopped in Kirkcaldy, or is headed here." She lowered her voice. "Now, I think everyone should take this disguise thing more seriously. It's imperative that we are not caught."

"There's Geoff!" Duncan called, pushing down his hood, and pointing at the approaching knight. Courtney, the last with her hood up, held onto it with both her hands, and pouted. "What is the news?" Duncan asked.

"I have it," Geoff waved a piece of parchment in his hand. "It's not too far from here. Just off of the market. I had one of the clerks give me directions."

"Dammit Geoff!" Courtney called. "You weren't suppose to let anyone know the address!"

Geoff stopped in his place. "Oh... shit."

"It's alright," Duncan jumped in. "The clerk does not know why Geoff looked it up. We're still in the clear. I say we head there now." He grabbed the parchment from Geoff's hand.

"Agreed," Courtney nodded.

"You all have fun with that," Heather acknowledged. "While you're all playing detective, I'm going to explore the market, maybe get some shopping done."

"Really Heather?" Duncan asked.

"What you didn't actually believe I'd help you, did you?" She let out a snicker. "In your dreams." She flashed them a smile, and headed out of the alleyway. "Come on Gwen!" Gwen gave a bow. She sped to catch up with Heather.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to do the same. I wouldn't be any help anyway. You all have fun," Alejandro nodded. He turned to Trent. "Lets go. I'm sure there's a nice bar around here filled with pretty ladies dying to hear one of your songs." The two of them went in the same direction as Heather.

"Is that the only reason he keeps that guy around?" Courtney wondered to herself as she watched Alejandro walk out of sight. "Well, it's just the three of us then, which is not that surprising actually." She turned back to the others. "Wait, where's Noah?" The others looked around frantically as they noticed Noah and Eva's disappearance.

"That little rat!" Duncan called out in anger. He then turned to Bridgette and Geoff. "I can understand Noah slipping away but how did you two lose track of she-beast?"

Both Geoff and Bridgette looked at each other and shrugged. "Well...ah..."

Courtney crossed her arms. "Just forget about it." She turned to Duncan. "Alright, well, I guess we'll be okay. Can I look at the directions?" She extended her arm towards him.

Duncan pulled the parchment closer to his chest. "Only if you promise not to put it into a fire."

After walking through the busy market and down a couple crammed side streets Courtney and Duncan were finally able to reach the door to Justin's home. The street was barely two meters wide. Aligning both sides were small brick homes tightly crammed next to each other. Justin's house was two stories high, right in the middle of the row. The street was covered in shadow. The intimate houses blocked the sun. "Alright, this is it." Courtney said as she walked up. She knocked on the door.

With all his might, Duncan ran up and kicked the door open.

"Woah!" Courtney stepped back. "What the hell was that?" Courtney yelled. She stormed up and grabbed Duncan by the collar.

"What the hell was what?" Duncan asked.

"What do you think moron? Why did you kick the door open?"

"He didn't answer."

"He didn't answ-," Courtney pondered Duncan's words aloud, "Of course he didn't answer! You waited what, a whole two seconds? How long do you think it takes for someone to answer a door? What the hell is wrong with you? We're supposed to be discreet here! We don't know who this guy is and how he'd react to getting his door broken open!"

Duncan just shrugged, and pointed into the house. "Well, he's clearly not here, nobody's come to the door."

"Or, he's already run out the back door, and has already lost us in the market."

"Well, either way, no one's home."

"This was supposed to be covert!" Courtney continued to yell.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you're yelling has completely allowed us to blend back in with the scenery. It's like we're not even here." Duncan said sarcastically.

Courtney let go of Duncan's collar and walked into the front doorway of the house. "Geoff and Bridgette, you two keep watch as myself and Duncan check this Justin guy's place for clues." She turned back to Duncan and stabbed her finger into the center of the chest. "You're only coming in with me because I don't trust you to keep guard outside. Don't. Touch. Anything." With that Courtney walked right into the house.

"Whatever you say princess." Duncan muttered as he followed behind her.

**In the Market**

Trent and Alejandro stood next to each other. Next to them, an old brick tavern bustled. The market racketed before them. Alejandro raised his right arm over his head, and pushed his other arm against his waist. Trent stood still, holding his lute in his hands.

"Focus up Trent!" Alejandro spoke. He switched arms. "You know stretching is essential before a good seduction. We need to limber up. Limber!" He reached both of his arms above his head, and pulled them downwards trying to touch his toes.

"May I ask you a question, m'lord?" Trent asked. He started to pull on his arms. He was noticeably less enthused about stretching than Alejandro.

Alejandro continued to try and touch his toes. "Feel free Trent. Limber!"

"What is the deal between you and lady Heather? I know you two do not get along, but to flee from her like you did? Then have us sleep so far away from the others. I have never known you to be afraid of a woman before. Well, except for that one royal blacksmith's daughter, but after that incident with the hot poker I don't think anyone blames you for being cautious."

"It's a matter of consideration with Heather, I am not afraid of her. And thank you for reminding me of Hammer Helga and the hot poker." Alejandro shook his head.

"Consideration? What are you being considerate about?"

Alejandro started to squat. He held the back of his head with both of his hands. Trent, reluctantly, began to emulate him. Trent's squat's though, barely showed any effort. "How much she hates my face. It would not be respectful to bother her too much with it."

"She hates your face? I don't understand. What does that have to do with Heather's servant? The Gwen girl? She seems nice. She's the reason you ran away from Heather, right? Is there something between you and her?"

Stopping his squats, Alejandro shook his stretched limbs. "Not with her current servant, no. It was her old personal servant. I did something last year that was, regrettable. This is penance for that, I guess."

"What did you do?"

"Well, when we all met each other at the Summer Festival last year, we shared our usual spats. I was quite unhappy, knowing it was to be my last free Summer Festival. In the heat of the moment, I picked Heather as the target of my frustration, saying that I would never allow myself to be shackled to her or anyone and to prove it I would sleep with her servant. As the festival progressed, I had a lot to drink, one thing led to another, and I actually did sleep with Heather's servant." Alejandro chuckled. "What a disaster. It did not take long for me to realize what happened. I crossed the line when I slept with Heather servant. Hell, I leaped above and beyond the line, to sleep with someone so close to one of us heirs, and have it be Heather too, who might not appear to be, but she's the most sensitive out of all of us. And scary too. It wasn't even just disrespectful, it was dangerous. Once I realized what I did, it was too late. I waited all night, in pure terror of Heather's reaction. But, it did not come. Still, I know what it meant to her. The last thing Heather wants is to see my face. I might as well be considerate of that." Alejandro moved his neck from left to right. "Are you limber yet Trent?"

"I think so, m'lord."

"Then lets get this started."

**In the Market**

"Good God, do people really live in this dirt? It's disgusting." Heather held the bottom of her dress above the ground. She had removed her cloak, and it rested in Gwen's arms. Heather walked briskly through the stalls. Gwen stayed a step behind her.

"Yes, m'lady. People live like this," Gwen said.

"Don't call me m'lady here, Gwen. It'll draw attention to us. We're just supposed to be two regular commoners enjoying an afternoon in the market. Don't refer to me by name either. Call me," Heather paused for a moment in thought. "Hannah."

"Yes... Hannah," Gwen spoke with spite. "If you want to be more incognito, might I suggest acting like less of a spoiled brat. You're not going to fool anyone."

"Take this more seriously Gwen, or I'll tear out your insides and stuff them down your throat. You're over exaggerating the intelligence of these peasants. No one with half a brain would spend time in such a rotten place. Frankly, I'm surprised that they can even remember to breathe." Heather passed by a stall covered in adorned jewellery. On the front table, a couple necklaces with deep crimson gems were arranged. Heather picked up one of them, brought it into the light, and looked through the gem. "Vassal!" Heather called to the old lady standing in the stall.

"For fucks sake..." Gwen spoke under her breath.

"Yes?" The old lady spoke. She had a hunched back with a white cotton shawl around her shoulders.

"I've never seen a ruby like this before. What is it? Something rare?"

"Oh yes my dear," The lady rubbed her hands together. "It's very rare. Came off one of the ships from a distant land where castles reach the sky, and beautiful princesses search out stones like these." She tapped on necklace in Heather's hand. "Now, don't you think a pretty thing like yourself, deserves something so special.

"Yes," Heather nodded, "I agree completely."

"Hea...Hannah," Gwen spoke. She rolled her eyes. "She's fucking with you. That's just a cheap garnet."

Heather sighed. "I know. I liked the story though. Here," she placed a piece of gold into the old lady's hand. "I'll take the necklace." She gave it to Gwen. "Something for you to wear, my equally poor fellow serf. Lets be off."

The two of them left the stall, and continued walking. The old lady stayed in place.

"You colossal idiot. That was a gold piece you gave her. You probably could have bought her whole store with that," Gwen shook her head.

"Shut up Gwen, or I'll flay off your skin and dip you in boiling oil."

Gwen continued to shake her head. She pressed on the garnet under her thumb.

**Inside A Tavern**

The tavern was rather large. It sat off to the side of the market, right by the waterfront. The place was rather full, considering it was around noon. It had a common wooden interior with clay walls and large windows. Alejandro sat back in his chair and observed those else sitting at the tables. "Not much selection." He sighed.

Trent just plucked away on his guitar. "I'm afraid you've set your standards too high m'lor-, I mean Al. This is not a royal establishment full of beautiful noble patrons, or one of those fancy brothels."

"I know that, but still, so close to the capital, there must be some attractive young ladies." Alejandro continued his survey of all the patrons. "Well here, pick out some ladies who fit the standard definition of common beauty."

Trent poked his head up and looked around, his attention turned to a table far at the other side of the tavern. There he saw two young ladies giggling together. A pale one who was rather large, and a skinny tan girl. They were wearing matching outfits. "Far left, second table from the large window."

Alejandro looked in that direction and quickly spotted them. "I see, commoners really do get the short end of the stick from God." To which Trent just shrugged. "Mmm, do you think they're twins?"

"What? They look nothing alike." Trent responded in confusion.

"Well they're wearing the exact same outfit."

"Not how twins work m'lord, I mean Al."

Sharply Alejandro stood up from his table. "Shame, I guess that dream of twins will have to remain just a dream for the rest of my days. Anyway, no point letting the opportunity go to waste." He quickly drank down the remainder of his pint. "I'll go for the double anyway, you just provide double support. Remember to turn down the charm." Trent nodded and got up. The duo walked quickly over to the table of the young ladies. "Excuse me?" Alejandro asked. The two young ladies looked up with amazement. "Are you from around here?"

"Um, yes..."

"How fortunate." Alejandro responded with a smile. He slowly sat down at their table. "My companion and I are from the East. We were just wondering how just a small city can have such beautiful women?"

The two young ladies looked at each other, they blushed and then giggled. "This is a major port."

"The majorest."

"I see." Alejandro nodded. "They do say the sea water does wonders for the skin. Where are my manners. I am Alejan-," He was interrupted by Trent's coughing. "I mean, I'm Al Ejanlleluiah, a noble from the house...Ejanlleluiah. It's a small family of nobles, you've probably never heard of it. And this is my musician friend, Tr...ent." Trent facepalmed.

"I'm Sadie, and this is my friend Katie." Sadie said introducing herself.

Alejandro gave off a light-hearted chuckle. "Even your names are similar."

"What can you play?" Katie asked.

"Plenty." Trent responded.

"What kind of a response is that...Trent?" Alejandro spoke realizing his mistake. "Surely when such a lovely lady and her beautiful companion speak of your music your only choice is a serenade?" Alejandro positioned himself right in between them. "Music is so important to me. No wonder I bring him along. It can become so boring being the son of a lor-,"

Alejandro was once again interrupted by Trent immediately strumming his lute as hard as he could to drown out Alejandro's word. He then began to play his song, trying to sing with the same intensity as his strumming requested, about twice as fast as the song required. _When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be..._

**First Floor of Justin's House**

"What exactly are we looking for?" Duncan called from upstairs.

"We're not _exactly _looking for anything." Courtney stood in the middle of the downstairs with her arms crossed. "We're looking for _anything _that might connect this guy with Izzy. We don't know anything at the moment. We don't know if the two of them ran away somewhere, if they're hiding somewhere in the city, if they talked about her running away, if they kept correspondence, if she even knew him, or even if Heather got his name wrong, which seems likely to me. If we can find anything that proves one of those, that's what we're looking for. Be quick about it though. We have no idea when he might come back. Try not to disturb anything too."

She rubbed her brow with her hand, and started to talk to herself: "now, what would be the easiest thing to prove? Well, if they knew each other before Izzy ran away, he would have to have some way to communicate with her. That means they must have sent letters to one another. If I were this guy, where would I keep my letters?" She turned towards the desk in the corner. A quill was laid next to a bottle of ink. "There," she said to herself. She kneeled next to the desk, and began to open the drawers.

"Are you saying something?" Duncan called again from upstairs.

"No," Courtney called back. She began to pull out pieces of parchment, and read over if they resembled a letter to or from Izzy.

"Good, only old lonely hags talk to themselves," Duncan spoke just loud enough for Courtney to hear. "Well," he called out once more, "I don't think this guy's been here for a few weeks!"

"Yeah?" Courtney spoke, continuing to look at each piece of parchment.

"Well, there's dust everywhere. Even on his bed. Also, the windows up here are bolted shut. Who wouldn't open their windows in this kind of heat. It's disgustingly stuffy up here," He said.

Courtney stood up from her spot. "Maybe it's just a dangerous area around here. He might need to bolt his windows to keep thieves out." She placed the parchment back into the desk drawers. There was nothing relevant to Izzy.

"Hasn't stopped us. Plus, what kind of thief would be able to climb through a second storey window? Some kind of spider-man?"

"Could you focus up there?"

"Sorry. Wow! This guy's closet is huge! I've never seen so many clothes."

Courtney folded her arms again, and began to speak to herself: "okay, so if I'm this guy, I haven't kept any of the correspondence in the obvious spot. This is not surprising if he was helping her plan to run away from her Lord Father. Maybe he kept it in a secret place?" She knelt down once more and felt around the bottom side of the desk. The surface was smooth, and she did not notice any notches or dents to suggest a secret drawer or compartment. "Where else could he have hidden it?" She moved over to the bookshelf, and began to take out books, and open there covers. Each time she held her breath, but none of the books were hollowed out. She let out a sigh.

"Hey, Courtney! What do you think?" Duncan interjected. Duncan stepped down the stairs into the room with her. He wore a green doublet under a wide red shouldered overcoat with wide lapels and puffed sleeves.

"Duncan, what the fuck?" Courtney whispered loudly.

"I know right? How ridiculous is this outfit? Who does this guy think he is? Fits me pretty well though." He pulled out his arms. "This is only one of the gems upstairs. He has quite the collection."

"Are you retarded?"

"No, but this guy might be. I mean, who still wears a codpiece? These things are uncomfortable as hell." He adjusted his crotch with his hand. "This guy must have a huge cock though, cause this thing is massive! I'm starting to see what Izzy saw in the guy. I'd run away for this." He tapped his hand triumphantly on top of the codpiece.

"Duncan..."

"You're right he's probably padding it. Surprised Izzy would go for someone so vain." He looked downwards and shook his head. "Yeah, there's no way, just no way it would be big enough to fit naturally. Come over here, you could probably fit your whole hand into it."

"Duncan!" Courtney yelled.

"What?" Duncan lowered his head. He looked around quickly to make sure no guards had come through the door.

"Take that thing off immediately!" She called, her face red with rage.

"Wow. Look at you. A secret Alejandro, aren't you?" he asked with a smirk. He looked over the clothes. "Although, if this stuff's able to put you into the mood like that, maybe I should reconsider my stance on this kind of stuff. I'll ask Alejandro next time I see him..."

He was interrupted by Courtney kicking him with all her might in the crotch. Duncan stood unfazed. He smiled wildly, and pointed downwards. "Remember? Codpiece?"

She nodded, and punched him hard in the stomach. He fell to the ground, and curled up into a ball.

**Inside A Tavern**

"So is strawberry fields a real place?" Katie asked Trent.

"I dunno."

"Sheesh, Trent, can't you give more than a word or two answer? These ladies need, no, deserve more effort of your vocabulary." Alejandro spoke as he had a look down at the empty mug in front of him. He looked over to see the others at the table were also "I hate to leave you two with this buzzkill but I must procure more drinks." He then looked at his companion. "Play another song to pass the time."

Alejandro stood up and walked over to the bar. The keep was a large grizzly man. He was talking with two patrons on stools who looked to be regulars. Alejandro stopped right next to them and snapped his fingers. "Barkeep!"

The barkeeper frowned as he stopped mid sentence talking to the others. He slowly walked over to Alejandro, "Yes boy, what do you want."

"A round of drinks for my table. Fill them up to the rim!" Alejandro replied.

The barkeep looked up and over at the table where Trent was playing his lute for Katie and Sadie. He then began to pour the drinks. "How's it going over there?"

"Alright I guess. I mean they're both not the prettiest. I'd usually never give a girl like that Sadie the light of day. I mean just look at her." Alejandro then let off a slight shiver. "God made a mistake crafting her. But can't say I can afford to be picky in this place. Say you know anything about them?"

The barkeep dropped the four mugs onto the bar counter. "The Katie girl's a real sweetheart. And Sadie... is my daughter."

"Really? What are the chances. Will you excuse me?" Alejandro spoke confidently. He then turned back and headed for his table without grabbing the drinks. In the corner of his eye Alejandro saw the two regular patrons moving to the door. "Trent! Code 8! Code 8!"

Trent immediately stopped playing. He then rushed to the nearby window and used the blunt end of his lute to smash the glass. He waited then knocked away any loose glass on the windowsill. Alejandro ran right up and dived through the window. Outside he was able to roll on the ground to prevent a nasty fall. Trent jumped up onto the windowsill and then out right next to Alejandro. He picked Alejandro off the ground and the two men ran into the bustling market with the regular patrons right on their tail.

**In The Market**

"My god if I knew the shopping would have been this bad I might as well have stayed around to see the others fail miserably. At least that would have been entertaining." Heather cursed as she and Gwen continued through the market. There was the sound of a couple screams and shouts coming from behind them. Heather turned around to take a look only to be bumped from behind sending her nearly to the ground from someone rushing past. "Why you little! I'll have your head!"

"You are really bad at this whole blending in thing. I mean pathetically bad." Gwen needed to point out.

"And you're really bad at not making me want to tie you up to a post and leave you rotting for vultures to rip off your fucking flesh!" Heather cried out as she stood back up. "Now what the hell is going on over there?"

Off in the distance right in the middle of the market there was a large commotion. A crowd of people were tightly packed between a few stalls. Shouts could be heard thrown around. "Seems to be coming from around where you bought me that shitty trinket." Gwen observed.

More people began to rush by, Heather stuck out her foot and tripped a young man who fell face first into the dirt. Heather picked him up by the collar and raised him up. "What is going on! Answer me now!"

"Um...um... they say a stall vendor's got her hand on a whole piece of gold!" The young man muttered out. Heather let go, and he quickly rushed to his feet and ran off in that direction.

Gwen and Heather exchanged a look before staring back towards the crowd. It seemed to be getting restless. The shouting escalated to screams. People started to shove one another. Soon, a punch was thrown. The fight grew through the crowd like a disease. Not long a mini riot broke out right in the middle of the market. Guards blew their whistles as they rushed to the fray; their swords unsheathed. Soon a couple of the stalls had been set ablaze and it turned into a pure panic.

"We should probably get out of here." Gwen spoke not taking her eyes away from the scene.

"Agreed."

Just before Heather turned around she caught sight of two young men trying to run through the chaos. "Is that?"

Alejandro and Trent ran right past them and away from the market. Trent stopped and ran back to the two teens. "You might want to follow." He told them before catching sight of his pursuers getting caught up in the commotion and unable to continue chasing.

Trent then turned back and tried to catch up with Alejandro who had kept running. Heather rolled her eyes as she began to follow closely behind with Gwen.

After getting far away from the market they stopped in a narrow alleyway. "Well that was close." Alejandro muttered.

"Mind telling me what that was about?" Heather asked.

Alejandro took a good look at Heather as if only realizing she was in his company. "Wha...?" He shook his head as if waking from a daze. "I'd rather not." Beyond a corner in the alleyway they could hear the commotion of men yelling out in excitement. Slowly the four moved in that direction. Alejandro peered around the corner. "Noah?"

There was about two dozen men standing around a small makeshift arena where two chickens were fighting with each other. Dead in the middle of the crowd was Noah holding a handful of coins. Noah looked up briefly to see who called his name but then his attention was turned quickly back to the fight."Oh hey Alejandro! You totally need to get in on this! This Ezekiel guy's a moron! I've won like five times in a row!"

Just then one of the chickens went down onto the ground. Noah and all the people around him cheered loudly while the others cursed in despair. "Make that six! Booyah! Pay up you son of a bitch!" Noah said to a young guy standing opposite Noah across the arena. The man had a shady look to him with a cap that covered his head. He had a stout figure. The pale of his skin made him look sickly. With a groan, he reluctantly handed over Noah a handful of coins.

"I think I'll pass." Alejandro spoke in confusion. He then looked at his fellow companions who all looked confused by the scene they were witnessing. They turned around and headed out of the alleyway.

**Second Floor of Justin's House**

"I told you, there's nothing up here. I've been over it all." Duncan sat idly on the bed.

Courtney walked along the wall, lifting every painting, checking all of the backs. "It just seems too perfect. Izzy gushes about the guy, runs away soon afterwards, and then he leaves his house abandoned perfectly bare. No map, no plans, no letters set aside, no food left back, nothing. This place is too spare for someone to have just left naturally, unless they did not want anyone to know where they went. There must have been a place he kept their letters. Somewhere secret."

Duncan ran his fingers through his hair. "You think so? You seem pretty sure."

"Maybe. Maybe I'm just too stubborn to think we've done this all in vain. That we've ignored the King's orders and came to Kirkcaldy for nothing. That we've broken into, and ransacked an innocent guy's house, over a half hearted suggestion by Heather. Heather!" She sat back down on the bed. "Are we really this stupid?"

"Well, we tried. There's something to be said for that. We only had a small clue to act on, but you can't argue we didn't act the most we could." Duncan tried to suggest. Courtney held her head in her hands, and did not react. "I could put on another one of the guy's ridiculous outfits. That was fun right?"

Courtney raised her head. "His clothes..." She spoke slowly. She stood up, and walked towards the closet. Opening the door, she began to frantically feel up each piece of clothing. Duncan stood from the bed. "Come on..." she said under her breath.

"You are really into these clothes... I am definitely investing in some over the top digs when I get back home. These things are magic." Duncan moved to the doorway.

"Will you shut up and help me? If you needed to hide something discreetly, you'd put it somewhere hard to find for other people. Like the pocket of a coat." She explained. Duncan nodded and stepped into the closet with her. They felt alongside the edges of coats, and in the sleeves of shirts.

Finally, Courtney felt a _tap_. "Did that sound like wood?" She asked surprised.

"Yeah," Duncan agreed.

Courtney hit the coat two more times: _tap tap_. It sounded thin and hollow. Courtney grabbed the coat off the rack, and brought it to the bed. She threw it flat. Duncan stood behind her. Taking out her knife, she cut along the seem, and took out a box. Triumphantly she held it above her head. "Eureka!" She cried.

Duncan held his head, and said quietly: "now who's not appreciating someone else's property. I bet it was in a pocket." Courtney elbowed him in the chest. "Ow!" He rubbed his front. With a frown, he said "I hope that's his special collection of codpieces."

Courtney pretended not to hear him. She placed the wooden box on the bed. It had a small latch in the front locked shut. With the hilt of her knife, Courtney hit the latch until it gave way. She opened the box, only to reveal that the box was empty. "Shit!" She yelled, and threw the box across the room into the wall. Duncan covered his head with his hands. "He's one step ahead!"

"What's this?" Duncan commented. He reached over Courtney, and into the hole Courtney cut into the coat. There, he grabbed a folded piece of parchment. "Seems like he was not perfectly thorough. Must have slipped out."

Courtney grabbed the letter out of Duncan's hand. "Give me that!" She snatched it, and unfolded it. "It's a letter from Izzy!"

"Great," Duncan clapped. "Now lets get the fuck out of here before the guards show up."

"Agreed."

The two of them walked swiftly down the stairs, and out the front door.

**In the Alleyway**

With the others gone, Noah turned back to the people around him. "Okay shall we go another round?" He asked with a smile on his face. "Double or nothing?" The Ezekiel character looked reluctant but nodded his head as two new chickens were put into the arena.

A figure sitting around the circle wearing a black cloak tapped his dagger's hilt on the ground. "You sure have a lot of coin. Are you not afraid of losing it?"

Noah shook his head. "No. I have a sponsor who is only interested in winning large sums. Losing this would be nothing."

"Strange for someone like that to send someone else to do his betting. Why look for only large sums, if you're not the one to enjoy it."

Noah smiled. "My sponsor is a she, actually. A beautiful redhead. I do not know a lot about her, but apparently she's a high noble hiding in the city. She can't come out for fear of being discovered. Not sure why she only cares about large sums; guess it's that fucked up noble mentality: you know, high life or no life." Noah went on as the fight was set up. A figure within the crowd watched closely. He wore plain red clothes with a headband.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the fight began. It did not last long; one cock dominated the other, It was a completely one sided fight. Noah threw his arms up in victory. Then reached his hand out in front of the Ezekiel fellow. "Pleasure doing business with you," he said with a huge grin.

Ezekiel gave a real sour face. "You will regret this," he said under his breath. After a minute, he finally handed over his coin purse. He stormed off, and walked out of the alley.

Noah quickly to pocketed the coins. He turned to the figure in the black cloak. "My redheaded sponsor also has complete faith in me. I never fail." Noah took a quick glance over the entire crowd before slowly walking away from the arena. He got about ten steps before a hand reached out and stopped him.

"Hey." A male voice said. Noah turned around to see the figure in all red. The headband wrapped around his head.

"What can I help you with? I'd love to take all your coins too, but after clearing that guy's pocket out it'd only seem cruel." Noah spoke to him nonchalantly.

"I'm interested in learning more about your redheaded sponsor."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm interested in doing business with someone involved with the cockfights."

"Ah," Noah spoke. "Please, follow me." Noah then led the man through a string of narrow alleyways. It was not long before they finally walked down an alley that led straight to a dead end. The walls reached almost two stories high. Noah gave a quick look around before turning and facing the man. "Not wise to follow someone into a dead end." Noah advised him.

The man chuckled. "Right, like I'm afraid of you."

"Oh, I'm not the one you should be afraid of." Noah said slyly. Just then Eva dropped down from the roof behind the man blocking his escape. The man was shocked and quickly looked for a ways to escape but there was none. "Don't worry, I just want to talk."

"I'm listening." The man said.

"You're an agent of the crown. Quite the small fry, since you can't even recognize the one of the holy six heirs. Nothing more than a simple rat in the underworld." Noah pointed out.

"The name is Tyler. Not all agents of the crown work in posh positions around the castle. But, alright, I'll take your word for it. I'm confused about what a lord's son is doing participating in a cockfight in an alleyway in Kirkcaldy. So, what are you doing here, m'lord?" Tyler asked.

Noah shook his head, "I'm the one asking questions. But I guess I can answer that one. I'm here the same reason you are, to find lady Izzy. Why else do you think I'd go through so much trouble trying to bait out an agent who's looking for information on her?"

"What do you want from me then?"

"Hey! I said I was the one asking the ques-." Noah paused for a second. "God damn it. What I want from you is to tell me everything you know about Izzy's escape. Particularly any leads the crown have managed to uncover."

"Sorry m'lord, but I'm afraid I'm not a liberty for sharing that kind of information."

"I'm not asking."

"You were just saying how you were the one asking the-,"

"Shut up!" Noah interrupted him.

"Plus, you do realize I'm just going to let my superiors know about this right?" Tyler asked.

"No you're not, because if you tell them that you met me and that you told me everything you know. You're the one who is going to be facing the dungeon, not me. Exposing castle secrets is a very serious offence."

"How are you so sure I'm going to tell you anything?"

"Because of her." Noah said pointing to Eva standing behind him.

Tyler turned around and looked at Eva. She made sure to make direct eye contact. There was a ferocity in her eyes. She then punched the brick wall right next to her so hard it shattered the brick and left a dent, all while not breaking eye contact.

"Now," Noah said softly. "Start talking."

_Afterword:_

_Nyhlus: Thank you everyone for the reviews, please keep them coming. This was a long chapter, we hope it is worth the wait. This story now has the most reviews for a story under this penname._

_If you're still itching for more, you can check out the story Total Drama Island: MAX I wrote under another name: Lando Calfunkian. It has similar humour and tone to this story. Imagine TDI with 18 new contestants, with a lot more Alcohol, Drugs, Violence, Mature humour, and adult themes!_

_Bardic Jester: I hope you liked this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write._

_Please leave a review. _

_Thanks. BJ. _


	8. The Inn

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, mature humour, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 8: The Inn

The group was finally back together in a secluded room in the back of a tavern. The tavern acted as the main floor to a large inn where they were staying the night. The inn was on the outskirts of Kirkcaldy, far away from the hustling and bustling of the market. The tavern had a wooden interior with stone walls. The room was off from the main eating area. A large open wooden doorway led to the rest of the tavern. Everyone was there except Heather and Gwen who had not arrived yet. Noah, Courtney, Duncan, and Alejandro all sat at the large table in the middle. Geoff and Bridgette both sat at a table right next to the large one. At a really small table in the back corner Trent played his lute silently. Eva stood by the doorway, keeping an eye on the rest of the tavern. The only person who was able to enter was Lindsay, the barmaid.

Lindsay placed a full tray worth of beers onto the table. Nobody said anything; they stared at her, but she seemed completely oblivious. She personally handed everyone their drink from the tray. When she went to provide one to Alejandro she paused. "Wow, not every night we get a hunk like you here."

"You are too kind. I was just thinking something similar, to be honest. I've travelled far the past couple of weeks. We've been across the land. But you, my dear, are the fairest girl I have seen." He placed his hand gently over top of hers.

"Oh my," Lindsay became a little flush. "You're quite the smooth talker, aren't you?"

"I'm much more than just a smooth talker. Alejandro just gave off a sly smile. "Some people say I'm a wizard. I would love to show you some of my magic."

Noah and Duncan just burst out into laughter. Duncan reached out, and used Noah's shoulder to keep him steady. They looked at each other, and laughed harder. Wiping away tears from his eyes Duncan as barely able to muster, "You got to be kidding me! That's your pickup line? I thought you were supposed to be this suave guy. Please tell me that has never worked before on anyone."

Bridgette slowly sunk in her chair.

Alejandro ignored them, keeping eye contact with Lindsay, even giving her a wink as she left the room. "I can't believe you!" Courtney called out in disgust. "I can't believe you just hit on that waitress right in front of me!"

Alejandro just rolled his eyes. "Yeah sorry, you're such a non entity in my mind that I forget that you're even present. So please don't take it personally, like I was intentionally trying to offend you. I simply consider so little of you in terms importance to give a damn."

"What if I told Heather?" Courtney asked, putting her hand on her hip.

"Oh please. You want us to have a meeting right now don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you're not going to say shit. She'll cause such a ruckus to get us kicked out of the place. If that's what you want, then by all means go ahead. Please. Be my guest." Alejandro replied.

Right then Heather came strolling into the room. "I'm late." She said matter-of-fact, "Not going to apologize, because I don't give a shit." She sat down at the middle table. Gwen walked in behind her and took a seat next to Trent at the back table. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing of importance." Courtney said with disdain. "Shall we get started?" There were no objections. "Good, well I guess I'll start with the obvious. None of you found out anything of importance."

"She stowed away on a frigid headed north to Grampian territory where the castle believes she headed west, perhaps towards the mountains in Galloway's domain." Noah informed them.

Everyone, especially Courtney and Duncan stared at Noah dumbfoundedly. "How the hell did you learn that?" Courtney asked.

Noah lightly chuckled to himself. "Like I'd tell you people."

The whole group paused for a second to soak in this new knowledge. They each pondered silently. "Alright well," Courtney muttered. "That definitely helps. However I'm sure Heather and Alejandro have discovered absolutely nothing of importance." They both nodded their heads in agreement.

"What about you and Duncan? Find anything in that guy's house?" Alejandro asked.

"Yes." Courtney pulled out a letter. "This is a letter to Justin from Izzy, so they were definitely in correspondence. However, it doesn't say anything. It's just a jumble of text with Izzy describing waking up, looking out the window, dancing, and something about a magic machine she's thought of that would allow for face to face communication across huge distances." Courtney said defeated as she placed the letter on the table.

Noah was quick to snatch up the letter. He looked over it for about five seconds before reading aloud, "I'm always thinking of the flowers. Everything is in order here. Soon, we'll be together."

Courtney snatched the letter out of Noah's hand, "How the hell did you read that?"

"It's the first letter of each line read vertically, like the easiest code you can leave in a message." To which Courtney just covered her face with her hand.

"So what do we know then: Izzy is probably somewhere in Grampian or Galloway territory, perhaps by the mountains, or perhaps not, where she was gonna meet this Justin guy. And Izzy likes thinking of flowers, which we can only hope is not a sexual thing." Duncan summarized. Everything stared at Duncan. "What?"

"Even with the secret message, that letter ended up being pretty useless," Noah claimed, sitting back in his chair.

Courtney looked over the letter again. "There must be something more here. Maybe there's a connection with 'the flowers' and wherever they were going. She could be saying that she's thinking about where they were going to meet."

"Perhaps. But 'the flowers' is too vague to get anything from. What flowers? We have no idea." Noah dismissed.

"Caithness." Heather spoke.

"Caithness?" Duncan asked confused. "Is that a place?"

"It's in your domain you moron!" Noah called out in annoyance.

"No but really." Courtney spoke. "Caithness? What does that have to do with this?"

"Because of the primrose in Caithness. Izzy never liked flowers, except for primrose. It's her favourite." Heather explained.

"How do you know what her favourite flower is? Is this something else she shared with you in secret last year? What else did you talk about?" Alejandro asked.

Heather shrugged. "No, that's something from when we were kids. When we were little girls in the flower garden putting flowers in our hair. She only liked primrose. She'd stomp on any other that I suggested. I never understood her fascination with it, but that was Izzy. She never could be simple. Don't you remember that Courtney?"

Courtney thought to herself. "Not really," she shrugged, "I remember putting flowers in our hair, but nothing more than that. It's all vague. Izzy had such idiosyncrasies that it's hard to remember one in particular."

Alejandro sat back into his chair. "I don't even remember you guys putting flowers in your hair. Did you do that often?"

"Of course we did. Every summer." Heather insisted. "Right before the summer solstice, the flower garden was filled with flowers from every corner of the kingdom. It was a game. Who'd be able to find the flower that matched them the most. We'd wear them all day."

Courtney snapped her finger. "I remember that," she smiled. "You were always better at that than me. I don't think I ever found a flower that went fit well."

Heather nodded her head. "You're not much of a flower person. Izzy always picked primrose, so at least in my mind, I always won by default. You were such frustrating competition."

"I'm really shocked you remembered that, I don't remember shit about hanging out with you guys when we were little." Noah admitted.

"It's a happy memory." Heather acknowledged. "Don't have to many of those. With you guys at least."

"Well that explains it. I never had happy moments when I was around everyone." Noah said.

"Hey that's not true." Courtney interjected. "When we used to spend the entire summer in the capital being tutored, there were plenty of happy times."

"For the rest of you, maybe. Not for me. You girls just did your own thing. I had these two knuckleheads' constant bullying to put up with. No one cared. The happiest part of those summers was heading home."

Alejandro said nothing, but Duncan could not help but smile. He wrapped his arm around Noah's shoulder. "Hey, that stuff just made you stronger. You became a bigger man because of it, didn't you champ!"

Noah was quick to swat Duncan's arm off. "Fuck you." He grabbed his mug and drunk the rest of his beer down in one gulp. He then stood up from the table.

"Wait Noah, we're not done." Courtney told him.

"Aren't we? Caithness. We head out tomorrow. I'll be at the bar." Noah dropped his mug onto the table. He then grabbed Duncan's untouched mug and carried it with him to the doorway. "Come on," He spoke softly to Eva.

"You know Noah," Heather said to him as he approached the doorway. "We might not have cared. But Izzy always cared."

"Whatever," he said under his breath. He and Eva walked out of the room and into the main tavern area.

"What a dweeb." Duncan chuckled to himself.

"Are we done?" Heather asked. Courtney nodded. "Thank God." Heather got up from her seat. She pulled out her pipe and began to head for the door leading outside. Alejandro watched closely as she left. Once she was outside, he immediately got up and headed in the direction of Lindsay who was serving a table.

Duncan grabbed Alejandro's untouched beer mug and moved it in front of himself. He then leaned back in his chair and threw his feet up onto the table. "Well, that went surprisingly well. I don't think you even predicted to have such a set destination princess. Cheers!" Duncan raised his glass before drinking most of it down.

"I know. I mean I thought I was the only competent one." Courtney sat there in disbelief.

"Hey you're going to be a ruler someday soon. Thinking your the only one who can get anything done will work against you." Duncan advised her. "In fact, as far as I can tell, sitting around and doing nothing except ordering people is the best strategy."

Courtney shook her head. "That's stupid, did Chris just sit back when the revolution happened? No he was on the front lines."

Duncan shook his head. "That's not entirely true. Sure, he was a part of the initial charge of Bannockburn, I'll give you that. But, when he fought at the battles of Methven, Glen Trool, Loudon Hill, and Inverurie, he was hardly in the front. Even then, that was a small part of the war. Most of his time was spent in the capital forming deals, and ensuring our parents stayed on his side."

"Wow Duncan," Courtney spoke surprised. "You're surprisingly knowledgeable about that."

"I'm not a total idiot Courtney." He grabbed Heather's untouched pint, and started to drink it. "You know, today was a lot more successful than I expected. You and I make a good team."

Courtney burst into laughter. "What about today makes you think that?"

"That we were able to figure out where Izzy probably ran off to? I mean, the capital agents have been searching for her for what? Months? We beat them on our first day!" Duncan triumphantly hit the table.

"You and I did not figure anything out. Noah and Heather figured everything out. We just sat here like idiots, which might not be anything new for you, but it bugs the crap out of me."

"You're too hard on yourself," Duncan postured. "And me..." he said under his breath. "Anyways, that's what those two will do. They'll filter all of that information. But, they've got no backbone. They'll never do what has to be done. You're the one who went looking for the letter. If we didn't find the letter, then we'd have no idea where Izzy could have went. All we'd have is Noah's information about which direction she headed in. That's wouldn't have helped us at all."

"Still," Courtney grabber her pint and took a sip. "If only I could have looked at it the way those two did. We would've failed if we did not have those two."

"I will admit, needing Heather's help feels wrong and backwards, but you have to learn to depend on other people. You've always been like this: feeling like you need to do everything. You can't. And if you can't trust other people to help you, then you won't be able to get it done." Duncan sat back. "I've always needed to depend on others. But I see it as a blessing, not a curse."

Courtney smiled. "That's a pretty funny way to look at it. Then again, I guess it makes sense. You can't break into a guy's place without destroying his door and trying on his clothes. You're completely useless."

"Don't get too comfortable on your high horse. You cut open one of his coats, and threw his wooden box against a wall, before we knew he had anything to do with Izzy. You're no better than I am."

She chuckled. "I guess so."

They sat in silence for a moment. Courtney sipped her pint lightly. Duncan sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. Courtney tapped the side of her glass. "It's funny," she started, "Heather has such a great memory. I haven't thought about putting flowers in my hair in years. It seems like such a long time ago. There was a real innocence back then. We used to have fun like that all the time. I really enjoyed those summers in the capital. They were my favourite times. It's too bad we didn't realize it then. It's too bad that..." She took a deep breath.

"You know, I was surprised you said you could never pick out flowers that matched you. Bluebells were your favourite flowers right? I always thought they looked nice on you when you picked them."

Courtney shook her head. "No. They never fit. Remember, House Grampian's colour is yellow, so I was always stuck wearing those bright yellow dresses. It didn't go well with such a blue flower..." Courtney paused, and turned towards Duncan. "Wait. How do you know what my favourite flower was?"

"I... I may have watched you three pick flowers a couple of times back at the castle when we were kids. I'd be ready and dressed for the summer solstice festivities in minutes right? You girls would take hours. So, I'd park myself at one of the windows overlooking the garden and watch. I had nothing else to do. And, you always went straight to the blue flower first. Every time. It didn't take much to guess that it was your favourite. I just kind of wish you picked it a bit more." Duncan stopped speaking. He turned towards Courtney. She looked at him intensely. For a moment, their eyes met. Duncan was quick to break the gaze. He scratched the back of his head, and let out a faint laugh before standing up. He walked around the table to Courtney's side. "Anyway," he spoke lightheartedly. "Keep up the good work princess, that way we'll find basket case in no time." He gave her a couple quick pats on the head before heading in the direction of Alejandro.

Courtney sat alone at the large table. She finished her drink, and rubbed her thumb on the empty glass.

_Afterword:_

_And We're back. This chapter went through many, many rewrites. Finally to the point that we are happy enough with it. Enjoy._


	9. Reflections in the Night

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: coarse language, mature humour, partial nudity and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 9: Reflections in the Night

**In the Bar**

Two quiet figures sat around a table in the corner. Only a handful of stragglers remained late into the night. The barkeep wiped down surfaces with his cloth. The barmaid, Lindsay, picked clear the abandoned tables. The two figures wore thick green cloaks. Their hoods hid their faces. One of them was burly; he sat a full head above the other. His partner was stout; she picked under her nails with a small knife.

Lindsay passed by their table, wiping her hands with a rag. "Hello," she greeted casually. "Are you two going to order anything? We're getting ready to close up. If you're not going to have anything, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The larger figure turned to his partner. He nodded his head in acknowledgement. She shrugged her shoulders, stabbed her knife into the table, and took out a small sack of coins. She flicked out two into the air, and caught them in the air with her fist like a claw, right before they hit the table. "We'll have two beers." She spoke quickly.

Lindsay smiled and took the money from the stouter one. "It would be my pleasure," she said. Lindsay pocketed the coins, continued to wipe down tables, and moved towards the bar. Eventually, she grabbed two pints, and placed them both onto the table. "Here you go."

The shorter one's attention was drawn back on her nails. She continued to pick at them with her knife. Her companion gave Lindsay a smile from under his hood. It looked gentle. Lindsay smiled back.

The two of them did not touch their beers. They continued to sit quietly, in the corner, hidden by shadows.

**Noah's Room**

"This is so frustrating!" Noah announced, bursting into his room. The room in the inn was small. A single bed rested along the right side, next to a nightstand. Noah rubbed his forehead, and then threw himself onto the bed.

Eva followed close behind him. "Something troubling you, m'lord? Did you have too much to drink?" Eva asked. She barely acknowledged his outburst. Closing the door behind her, she crossed her arms, and stood straight.

"No. I haven't had too much to drink. Well... maybe a little too much. Still! That's not the problem."

"Then what is the problem, m'lord?" Eva asked impartial, as if performing her duty. She placed her travel bag upon the ground, and began to sort through it.

"It's nothing." Noah curled up on the bed and said nothing. After a minute, he began to speak again. "It's just... it's just... When the hell did Heather become an expert on Izzy! She knew about Justin. She mentioned Caithness. She remembered the primrose in Izzy's hair. I didn't know any of that! Izzy was my burden! My responsibility! If anyone should know anything, it should be me!"

"Your burden m'lord?" Eva asked.

"Yes my burden! I was the one who got stuck with her. Throughout all my childhood, I was always stuck with her!" Noah exclaimed. "I should know her better then everyone! I spent more time with her then all of them combined. I had to deal with her constantly. You don't understand what it was like for me, for her."

"I don't understand anything about you six." Eva pointed out.

"Between the ages of five till twelve. We spent every summer together in the capital to receive personalized tutoring. I was always pushed to the side, ignored, insulted. Courtney thinks I'm useful now but as much as she'd like to ignore it, she treated me just as badly as the others. And they treated Izzy even worse. At first I was fine being stuck with her, at least I had someone to hang out with. As I got older I grew to appreciate solitude more and more, and grew weary of her stupid antics all the time. But she never left me alone. No matter how many times I told her to leave, she never would!" Noah explained.

"If she was such a burden, why was I always instructed to allow her entry into your room when visiting the Capital?" Eva asked.

"Because I tried that once and she came through the window, it scared me so badly I decided it wasn't worth it. Not to mention how dangerous it was for her to even attempt that." Noah explained.

Eva paused from sharpening her sword to give the blade a look over. "Just because you spent so much time together doesn't mean she'll share everything with you. Especially when you think of her as just a burden."

"But I deserve that, I know her the best! She should have trusted me!"

"Do you know her the best?"

"I do damn it!"

"How are you so sure?" Eva asked.

"Because she knew me better than anyone!" Noah yelled stomping his foot down on the ground. "She knew me better than I did! God damn it!" Noah took a series of deep breaths before falling back to lie down onto his bed. "This trip is starting to affect me. I feel like a mess. I'm starting to fear it will not go according to plan. Maybe I should just tell them."

"M'lord, I think you are starting to worry too much. The plan is coming along fine. Perhaps a book would clear your head?" Eva reached forward with a book. "It's the next book in the series you were reading on your way to the festival."

Noah reached forward and grabbed the book. "The one with Elves and Dwarfs? Man, I fucking hate fantasy novels."

**In Duncan's Room**

Duncan sat with his legs stretched outwards on his bed. He stared listlessly at the ceiling. By the bed, Geoff sat at a desk, staring down at a piece of parchment. The candle flickered near Geoff's face; his heavy handed breaths beat before him. Duncan turned to his side, and watched his knight companion.

"What are you doing Geoff?" Duncan asked, his voice disinterested and bored.

Geoff looked over his shoulder at Duncan, and turned his attention back towards the parchment in front of him. "Nothing, m'lord. Nothing to be concerned about."

"What is that?" Duncan sat up on the bed. "Is it one of your autographs? The ones you signed for the tournament? Much use those did for you, huh?"

"It's such a waste," Geoff acknowledged, holding his head. "I thought it was such a good plan. I spent a week writing them all out, looking forward to handing them out to my adoring fans at the festival. Now, I'm just stuck carrying around a stack of useless paper."

Duncan laid back onto the bed. He stared back at the ceiling. "It's hard to imagine that the festival's still going on, and we're missing it. People are partying their hearts out. Everyone's probably having such a good time. While we're stuck here, on this stupid mission, missing all the fun." He breathed deeply. "I guess it's not all bad though. If Izzy was there, we'd be paraded around as newly arranged couples like lambs to the slaughter. This is probably more fun than that." Duncan sat again up, and cracked his neck. "Why are you looking at your autographs anyways?"

"I'm... trying to... improve my penmanship." Geoff shifted his back, so that he was turned away from Duncan. He tapped his quill on the desk.

Duncan stood up, walked across the room, and grabbed the parchment from Geoff's hand. "You can't expect me to believe that. I may not be the smartest man, but I'm not _that_ dim." Duncan said. Geoff stood up abruptly. He tried to grab the piece of paper back from Duncan. Duncan manoeuvred himself closer to the candle, so he could read the words scribbled on top of the autograph clearer. " To Bridgette?" He read out loud. "An autograph for Bridgette?" He looked over it again. "That's it?"

Geoff successfully pulled the autograph out of Duncan's grip. "I'm trying to come up with a personalized message to go along with it. So far I've been unsuccessful."

"I don't get it. Why would you give her an autograph?" Duncan sat back down onto the bed. He laid back before sitting right back up, "No! You have the hots for this chick!"

"I wouldn't really call her a 'chick', I mean she's a knight. That seems a little beneath her." Geoff pointed out, placing the parchment back on the desk.

"Yeah, Courtney's knight. I don't know if I'm comfortable with you trying to get a booty call with another heir's companion. That might make things a little awkward during our journey." Duncan laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Geoff turned back and stared at Duncan. "I'm not looking for a booty call. Since when have I ever been that type?"

"Oh what, so you're in love with her then?"

"No! Nothing like that, I only met her a couple of days ago. But, I dunno I like her. She seems like a really nice person, someone I could get along with, someone special."

"What? Why her? I mean, sure, you're both knights, and like, blonde, but come on. What makes her special?"

"I dunno if I can put it to words. I mean that's exactly what I've been trying write down on this stupid piece of paper for the last hour and come up with nothing. It's not something so easily described. You know what it's like." Geoff defended himself.

Duncan stretched his arms up before dropping them back down onto the bed. "Nope."

"What do you mean nope?"

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."

"Please Duncan, I've seen you admire plenty of young ladies that pass us by back in Galloway." Geoff reminded him.

Duncan shook his head, still staring at the ceiling. "But that's all that was, admiration. I can honestly say I've never felt someone was 'special' before, not in the sense of signing my name to a piece of paper and giving it to her. I mean why her!" Duncan began to get frustrated. "She's Courtney's bodyguard. You can choose anyone you want. You're a high knight! the sky's the mother fucking limit for you! Why pick a ball-and-chain to another ball-and-chain. That makes no sense! She lives on the other side of the freaking nation."

"It wouldn't be too far if you married Courtney." Geoff suggested.

Duncan jumped up off the bed. He grabbed the front of Geoff's shirt. "You know my rule."

Geoff raised his hands into the air. "Sorry m'lord. I didn't think those words through. I don't mean to upset you." Duncan released his grip, and sat down on the bed. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so upset when someone suggests who you will marry? You know it will be one of them. Are you that set against the idea of marrying Courtney?"

"It has nothing to do with Courtney. Well," Duncan scratched his head, "it has to do with her, just not specifically. Since I don't know who we'll end up with, I can't, I _can't _consider who I will marry. I have to stay neutral. I can't even think about it. The risk is too great."

"What is the risk?"

"The risk is that I may 'like' one of them. That I may fall in love with them, and have to marry another. Can you imagine it? It'd be torture. I wouldn't be able to be with who I like, and I'd be stuck in a marriage with someone I wouldn't want to be with." He sighed, and reached upwards into the air. "At night, I'd dream about the life I wanted, and about my life with the other, and I'd wake up to the shitty reality of my life. It'd be cruel. Not even just for me. It'd be cruel to the one I'd eventually marry. How would it feel to wake up to someone, knowing they dreamed of waking up next to someone else? I can't let that happen." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"That sounds rough." Geoff said. A silence filled the room for almost a minute. "So you six never showed any kind of affection to each other, even though you knew you'd have to marry one of them?"

"Yeah. Sure we did. Back when we were kids and stupid. Not anymore. We learned our lesson. It always turned out badly."

"Really?"

"Always. The worst was in our last summer together, back when we were tutored in the capital. There was something in the air that summer. We were twelve and confused. Alejandro had a huge crush on Courtney. So did I." Duncan chuckled. "We started to fight about it a lot. Heather had a crush on Alejandro. In frustration, she wrote a list, outlining who she thought everyone should marry. She kept it secret, but I stole it, and, like an idiot, I shared it with everyone. One thing led to another: Alejandro and Heather got into a screaming match, Alejandro kissed Courtney, and I pushed him through a window. The whole affair broke the last remnants of friendship between us."

"Where was lord Noah and lady Izzy in this?" Geoff asked.

"They weren't involved. Not really. They were always doing their own things. Noah with his face shoved into one of his dumb books, and Izzy prancing around on one of her little adventures." Duncan shook his head. "Anyways, after that summer, without saying anything, we agreed never to let that happen again. We would wait until we knew who we were set up with, before showing any affection again."

"That doesn't sound like a solution at all." Geoff noted. "That sounds like you decided to continue hating each other and agreed to keep it that way."

"It was the only way. Better to be miserable now, than our entire lives."

"Do you believe that? That it will work out for the best in the end?"

"No." Duncan stood up. "I'm going to see if I can get a beer downstairs. Good luck with your message and with Bridgette." He walked swiftly out of the room, slamming the door as he left.

Geoff sat still at the desk, alone in the room. The parchment was laid out before him. The candle flickered; his heavy handed breaths beat before him. But, the page remained untouched. He just sat in silence. The quill rough against his fingers.

**Noah's Room**

Noah sat reading a book by candlelight on the edge of his bed. Eva sat in front of the door. She carefully rubbed a whetstone up and down the edge of her blade. The candle rested on the nightstand by the bed. The wick burned slowly; a low warm light filled the space.

There was a knock at the door: one short, one long, and another short. Eva stood up; her grip on the hilt tightened. A sealed letter was pushed under the door. Eva sighed. She leaned downwards, grabbed the letter, and brought it to Noah. "Another message from Lady Courtney." Noah placed his book face down onto the bed. He grabbed the letter, and broke the seal. The parchment was covered in a cypher; pictures spelt out a secret message. Eva looked over his shoulder. "What is that?" she asked.

"It's the royal secret code," Noah said. He sat back with the letter in his lap.

"Why write a message in a secret code? They delivered it here directly. Are they afraid someone would intercept it between us and the door?" Eva sounded confused.

"It's practice. Or, at least, that's what Courtney likes to believe. She always wants to do things in the 'official' fashion. And, I believe she's convinced herself that all 'official' secret messages must be delivered in the code. Can't argue against her need to practice though, considering how bad she is at it."

"What do you mean, m'lord?" Eva asked casually.

"Well, Courtney's message is supposed to read: 'once we break tomorrow, meet me in secret. I expect to hear about how you got your information. Come alone.' But, you see here?" Noah pointed to a crooked letter C. "This is a crooked letter C instead of a jagged letter C. Instead of 'Come alone' it means something entirely different."

"What does it mean then?"

"Bring a Nipple clamp."

"What?" Eva exclaimed. "What the fuck? Why is there even a symbol for that?"

"Well as much as this code is supposed to be used for important secret documents and information pertaining to the safety of the kingdom. It's also to allow horny bored nobles to fulfil their sexual deviations without the risk of getting caught. I mean, those weren't the symbols we were taught, but they exist, which makes it even more confusing how Courtney is able to continually mistake them for the proper ones."

"Will you tell her how you gained the information?" Eva sat back down in front of the doorway. She took out her whetstone. "I'm not sure the others appreciate our... methods." She began to sharpen the edge again.

Noah snorted. He folded the parchment, and stuffed it into one of his pockets. "I'll probably have to. Courtney is good at seeing through me when I try to say a lie. Plus, it's always good to have her trust me. It may come in handy. She likes to think of us as partners of sort, sharing information and ideas. It's beneficial for me to continue that relationship.

"Have you told her about the list?" Eva asked matter of fact.

"No. Of course not. That would only create disorder between us... more disorder than usual. Nothing good would come from revealing it. Thankfully Courtney has not asked me directly about it. She does not suspect anything." He sat back into his bed and picked up his book. He brought it close to the candle, so that he could see clearly, but quickly threw it against the wall.

Eva stayed still, and did not flinch as the book went flying. "Still a little upset from earlier?" She asked matter of fact.

"Maybe," Noah admitted. He took a series of deep breaths before falling back to lie down onto his bed. "That's enough for tonight. I'm tired. Goodnight Eva."

"Goodnight m'lord."

Noah blew out the candle. Darkness filled the room.

**In the Bar**

"There he is," the shorter figure spoke under her breath. Late into the night, the two quiet figures continued to sit around the table in the corner. Their two beers remained untouched before them. She motioned her head towards the door. Duncan stretched his arms into the air, walking into the bar. He ran his fingers through his hair with a boyish smile. The bar was empty, except for the barkeeper counting money behind the bar. Lindsay had already headed to bed. "You know what to do?" The shorter one said firmly.

"Of course." Her stout partner acknowledged. He stood up from his seat, and pulled down the hood of his cloak. His hair was short. His beard was cut like a wide goatee, and his complexion was dark. "I've got this."

Duncan walked up to the barkeep, and knocked on the bar. "Hey barman, is it possible to get a late night pint? I need something to clear my head."

"Sorry, the bar's closed." He did not look up from his counting.

"I'll give you ten silver."

"Right away." He pocketed the coins, and poured Duncan a glass. Duncan raised his glass up into the air in thanks, and started to take a sip.

"Lord Duncan!" The taller figure called, approaching Duncan with open arms. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Duncan spit his beer out and started to choke. He slammed the beer down onto the bar. His face turned red. He turned to the approaching figure. "What the fuck?" He nearly yelled. "Shhh!" He exaggeratedly brought a finger before his lips. He turned towards the bartender and placed down another ten silver. "Pretend you did not hear any of that. That man is clearly delusional, and I have no idea what he is talking about." He turned back towards the man who called out his name, but, then, quickly turned back. He placed another ten onto the bar. "And pour me another."

"That's no way to greet an old friend." The figure spoke, placing a hand on Duncan's shoulder.

"D...J...?" Duncan muttered as he put his new glass to his lips. "Dude!" Duncan and DJ shared a friendly hug. "What are you doing here man?"

"I should be asking the same thing! Shouldn't you be in the capital for the festival?" DJ enquired.

Duncan thought to himself for a second as he took another large sip. "Oh yeah, right, um, we're on a... pilgrimage. Something new this year. We're supposed to be travelling discreetly. You know how non capital citizens can be am I right?"

DJ nodded his head. "I hear that!" The two guys high-fived.

"How's your mother doing? Seems like just yesterday she was looking after us six during those summers in the capital. I have the highest respect for that woman, any other nanny would have wrangled our necks after the huge hassle we all were. She's the toughest woman I ever met that's for sure." Duncan remembered.

"Momma's still as tough as ever. She's now on a rotation watching just about every noble's kids in the entire capital. Seems like no noble kid is allowed to mature in the capital without at least one whooping from her." DJ laughed. "Say, what pilgrimage are you guys on? I'm not familiar with any that pass through Kirkcaldy."

"We are on... um... the Holy... Well... pilgrimage."

"The Holywell pilgrimage?"

"Yup."

"Never heard of it."

"Well it's all the rave right now in the pilgrimage circles." Duncan declared drinking down the rest of his beer.

DJ shrugged, "Huh, interesting. Where does it end?"

Duncan nodded his head as if he was agreeing with DJ. "It ends... in Caithness. Which is in the mountains to the north. That's where we're headed."

"Oh, Caithness. I was there not that long ago. The fields of primrose are absolutely stunning. Although, why does it end in Caithness though? I don't remember there being a shrine or anything." DJ asked.

"There is a... secret... monastery... in the mountains... full of... warrior monks!" Duncan pulled from his ass. "It's a dangerous path, people rarely take it. They have a shrine to each of the pillars of the religion_._"

"Well, best of luck to you. I'm actually heading in a similar direction, for you know, Capital business. Take it easy Duncan."

"You too man."

**Lindsay's Room**

"Wow... that was..."

"Amazing right?"

"Pretty good, for a westerner." Lindsay spoke softly resting her head on Alejandro's chest.

"You women from the capital region, so hard to please." Alejandro said back with a smile. He was sitting up in bed with his arms up behind his head. "Well, I must be off to my room."

"Already? The night is still young."

Alejandro let out a laugh. "I would stay if I could. But alas, I have long travels ahead of me." Alejandro explained. "Not to mention we've been going at it for over two hours. I'm a lover not a goddamn machine." Alejandro muttered under his breath.

"What's a machine?" Lindsay asked.

"Don't worry your little mind on something like that." Alejandro said softly. He reached over and gave her a quick boop on the noise with his finger. "And plus, my absence from my room may raise some suspicions from my companions." Alejandro slowly began to stand up forcing Lindsay to lift her head off his chest. Once he was off the bed he began to collect his clothing on the ground.

"Oh god, don't tell me you're married to one of those companions of yours." Lindsay questioned with concern.

Again, Alejandro just laughed as he began to redress. "Oh heavens no! I can barely stay in the same room as them. But business is business, cooperation is needed in these new times of commerce. Expanding profits require savvy business ventures like the one we're on, it's the only way to see our revenue grow."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind." Alejandro was now fully dressed and he headed towards the door. "Will you be okay by yourself or shall I call someone to stand guard?"

"Please, this is my room. I'll be fine." Lindsay spoke confidently still lying in bed.

"Then I will bid you a goodnight fair maiden." Alejandro gave an exaggerated bow before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Before he took a step, he heard the sound of over a dozen locks being locked from inside Lindsay's room, then the sound of a dresser being pushed in front of the door. He stood there for a few more seconds to hear if there were anymore peculiar sounds. After the ruckus seemed to have died down from inside Lindsay's room, Alejandro turned and walked down the hallway.

Lindsay's room was behind the bar on the main floor, within the employee quarters. He walked out into the front of the tavern. The room was now empty as the tavern had already closed. There was one single guard sitting behind the counter keeping watch. Alejandro gave the man a quick nod before walking up the stairs to the second floor. Upstairs, there was a tight corridor lined with six doors; each led to a separate private sleeping room. The rooms upstairs were pricier than the rooms off of the bar. They catered largely to rich merchants. A nicer place to sleep on the road to the city. The party rented out the whole floor. Each picked their own place to stay the night.

It took Alejandro about a minute to remember which room he'd chosen. All of the doors were identical. He walked hesitantly over to the far door on the right. With a deep breath, he opened it quietly and sneaked in. He carefully closed the door behind him, ensuring it did not squeak at all. When the door was closed he quickly locked it and turned around to face his room. There he saw Gwen sitting on top of Trent in a chair on the far side. They were both about half naked and staring directly at Alejandro.

"Good evening m'lord," Trent tried to greet casually.

"No. No. No no no no!" Alejandro spoke harshly. "What is she doing here? What is she doing here?"

"We were um," Trent tried to explain before he was cut off by Alejandro.

"I can see what you're doing, I'm not blind! It was rhetorical! Get her out of here! Now!"

"What's wrong m'lord?" Gwen asked confused.

Alejandro ran up to them, he grabbed Gwen's arm and tossed her off of Trent and onto the floor. "Do you have any idea what Heather would do to me if she discovered her servant girl was in my quarters! Now get dressed and get the hell out of here!" Alejandro demanded. Trent jumped off the chair and onto the ground next to her.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Gwen conceded, she then began to pick up her clothes on the floor and put them on, Trent scrambled around trying to help her.

There was a knock at the door. All three of them froze. "Hey! Assholes! Mind keeping it down in there" Heather called out from behind the door. "Have you seen Gwen, Alejandro?" Her voice was filled with venom.

Alejandro looked around the room quickly before running to the window. He unlatched the top of it burst it open. Trent ran up right next to him. "What are you doing m'lord?"

"I'm going to jump it!" Alejandro spoke as loudly as he could whisper. He climbed partway out the window. His right leg dangled over the ledge. Trent reached forward, and grabbed the back of Alejandro's shirt.

"That's over a two storey drop!"

"I don't care. I'm going for it!"

Trent pulled Alejandro out of the window, he then grabbed Alejandro by the collar. "M'lord! Have you gone insane? What if you were to trip out of the windowsill and fall forward! Think what would happen to your magnificent face!"

Alejandro paused and touched his cheek. "You're right." He continued to look around. "Maybe, if you two acted like statues or hid under the bed," Alejandro thought aloud. "Quick! Hide under this blanket!" He tore the blanket off of the bed, and threw it over top of Gwen.

Gwen stood still. The blanket covered her. The shape of her body remained clear and obvious. It looked as though she stood in the middle of the room, just with a blanket over top of her. "Hide where under the blanket?" she asked annoyed.

"I don't know!"

The knocking on the door continued. "Alejandro, you better open this door. Gwen's in there, isn't she?"

"Fuck," Alejandro spoke under his breath. "I'm dead. Dead. There's nothing I can do."

"You could just talk to her!" Gwen said in frustration. She threw the blanket off from on top of her. "What is wrong with you people?" She sat back down in the chair she'd been sitting on Trent in earlier.

Alejandro shook his head.

Heather stood outside with her arms crossed. Finally she heard the sound of the door being unlocked. The door slowly crept open, just enough for Alejandro to slip through. On the other side, he kept his back straight along the door, and closed it quickly behind him. "Hello Heather."

"Sorry to bother you Alejandro," she spoke virulently. There was no hint of softness in her voice. "I was sleeping a minute ago, only to be disturbed by the noise in your room. The fact that Gwen's not currently in my room has nothing to do with that, does it?"

"Of course not... She's definitely not... in there to see me..." Alejandro said.

"But she is in there?"

The colour drained from Alejandro's face. "Fuck," he said. "Look, what would you say if I said that Gwen was in my quarters unknown to me? That she was there to see my minstrel, Trent. Upon discovery, I demanded she leave, and that's the noise that awoke you." Alejandro muttered.

Annoyed Heather pushed Alejandro from the door, and pulled it open. "Gwen are you in there?"

"Yes." She still sat on the chair with her arms crossed.

"Were you just fucking the minstrel?"

"I would have if Alejandro hadn't shown up."

Heather slammed the door shut again. "You've lucked out this time."

"What? Really? That's it? You just need her word?" Alejandro asked in disbelief.

"Why would I have a servant who I allow to be brutally honest and speak her mind, if I didn't trust that at least she would always tell me the truth." Heather questioned.

"Huh, that actually makes a bit of sense." Alejandro breathed deeply. He covered his face with his hands. "I guess you fired your old servant over what happened last year."

"Before we even got home. She wouldn't even admit to what she had done, continually lied through her teeth. Plus I'm fairly certain she was pocketing my loose coins. She was left on the side of the road. Frankly, she's lucky I didn't send her to stocks."

"Look, I know words are pretty meaningless, but I really do want to apologize for what happened. I've been really torn up about it. I didn't mean for it to happen," he spoke exhausted. The whole confrontation had taken all of the energy from him.

"Really?" Heather sneered. "Sounded to me like you were pretty clear on your intentions."

"Me saying all of that: that I was going to sleep with your assistant. That was just a petty joke. It really had nothing to do with it. I ran into her in the halls, and we hit it off. We talked, we joked, and before I knew it, things escalated quickly. It was my first time doing anything like that. I had no idea what I was doing."

"Do you really think I want to hear these details?"

"No. Of course not. I don't know what I'm saying. I'm not looking for forgiveness. I know that's not on the table. I only wanted to say I'm sorry. Things got really fucked up. I'd take it back if I could."

"But, you can't Alejandro. It's far too late for that."

Heather turned around, and walked into her room. Alejandro ran his fingers through his hair. The hallway was silent. He breathed deeply. Slowly he turned around, opened the door and walked back into his room. "God damn it! Closing the door was not an invitation to start again! How did you even get your clothes off so fast?"

_Afterword:_

_Thank you to all our wonderful reviewers. I don't really have much to say about this one. Got more background info on them, so that's cool. _

_I have also posted the first chapter of a twoshot called Drop Shot Glory, which is about Tennis, so go check that out. It stars Tyler/Lindsay, something different._


	10. Danger in the Forest

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: violence, coarse language, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 10: Danger in the Forest

The party converged at the stables in the morning. Duncan held his head. He felt the alcohol the morning after. Noah, who also had a lot to drink, did not look much better. Both of them groaned and moaned from their hangovers. Courtney stood at the head of the group. "Alright. I hope you're all ready for the ride to Caithness. It's a few days away, but, thankfully, there's roads almost the whole way, so it should not be a hard ride. We'll stop at a couple villages along the way, and stay at inns when we can. Most of the way is through Birnam forest, so try to keep your eyes open for any potential threats."

"I don't remember electing you leader, Courtney," Duncan called at her.

Courtney placed her hand on her hip. "I'm just describing our ride. It's not really leadership. Plus, we don't elect any of our leaders. How is that at all relevant?"

"Right," Duncan waved his hand for no reason. Noah chuckled next to him. Duncan turned to Noah. "If my head didn't feel like I fell on a rock, I'd beat you in." Noah continued to laugh, before stopping, and holding his head with a groan.

"Are there any more asinine comments?" Courtney asked the group.

"None, miss bossy pants." Alejandro said, before climbing onto his horse.

"You're all a bunch of children," Courtney spoke under her breath, and climbed onto her own horse. "Remember to ride with your hoods up. It's imperative that we do not run into anyone who can recognize us. There are spies everywhere."

Duncan coughed. The rest of the group nodded. Once the party was fully mounted, they tied their cloaks and raised their hoods. Geoff led the group in a line. His full armor shone in the sunlight. Bridgette anchored the back, also wearing her full armor.

They rode for a few hours, until the sun was high in the sky. They came across a clearing, and Geoff reigned in his horse. "Lets break here!" He called out to the back. The rest of them stopped behind him. They dismounted, and rested in a tight circle.

"I hate horses. I hate riding. Could we not have bought a boat?" Noah spoke, massaging his legs.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Yes, Noah, the perfect form of transportation for reaching the mountains in the centre of the nation. Speaking of water, did someone remember to refill the canisters?" Silence. "Great."

"I'll fill them up." Eva said. "There was a stream not far back." She rode next to everyone and they each handed her their waterskins and canisters. She paused for a second next to Bridgette. "Keep a close eye on the lords, these are dangerous roads." She then rode off back down the road they came until she was out of sight.

"Well, I'm going to go find a nice spot to vomit." Duncan informed the others before he began to walk off.

Noah nodded feeling his stomach. "I think I'll be doing the same." He turned and began to walk in the opposite direction of Duncan.

"Hey, I think we should all be sticking together." Bridgette spoke to the group.

Geoff slowly walked up behind her. "Actually, I was thinking we could have a moment to ourselves. I have something I'd like to give you."

"To give me?" Bridgette repeated, Geoff nodded slightly. Slowly the two walked away from the rest of the group. None of the others seemed to mind, notice, or care. The area was surrounded by forest. They walked past a couple trees until they were out of sight from the others. "This better be important Sir Geoff." He reached out and handed her a piece of parchment. She looked at it. "An autograph?"

"There's a message there too."

"To Bridgette, my biggest fan." Bridgette read aloud. "That's it?"

"That took me all night to come up with." Geoff scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm not a very good at knowing what to write."

"Is there anything you're good at?" Bridgette asked.

"I'm good looking."

Bridgette could not help but crack up and laugh at Geoff's remark. "I wouldn't deny that." She looked back down at the piece of paper in her hands. "This however, may be the saddest attempt anyone has ever tried to pick me up with." She then paused and thought to herself, "maybe the second saddest."

Geoff took a step back. "It's not a meagre pickup attempt. You spoke of watching me in the games. I thought it only fair to provide you with a token for a fan, since I won't be giving any out this year. I am ashamed and astonished you would confuse such a harmless gesture."

Bridgette took a step closer to fill in the gap between her and Geoff. "You think I believe that? Are all the girls you fancy as stupid as you are?"

"I, um, honestly have no idea how to respond to that. Besides if I were trying, it would be a lot different than this. I am a high knight! We do not hide behind such flimsy gestures such as messages of affection!"

"Alright," Bridgette spoke as she stepped further closer to Geoff, close enough that their armor clanked. "Show me."

"If you insist." Geoff said as he wrapped his arms around her back side and pulled her close.

**Elsewhere in the Forest**

"mmmbuueeeeeghhh," Noah sounded as he vomited up what was once his breakfast onto the ground. He grabbed a leaf from a nearby tree and wiped his mouth. "You know, if you're going to walk up behind me. At least say something so it's not totally awkward, Courtney." He muttered as he stood up straight and turned around to look right at Courtney standing right behind him.

"Are you done?" Courtney asked.

Noah felt his stomach. "Think so. No promises."

Courtney looked around to make sure none of the others were around. "Shall we get started? Care to tell me how the hell you learned where Izzy was headed?"

"I baited out a castle agent claiming to have an anonymous royal sponsor with a matching description to Izzy. I interrogated him and learned what the castle knows." Noah informed her.

"You did what?" Courtney called out in shock. "Why would you do that? We're supposed to be discreet here! No one is supposed to know what we're doing, not even the castle!"

"I knew what I was doing. I knew that if I was able to get the information out of him, he's not going to tell anyone because he just gave up castle secrets. I will admit, there was some risk involved, but we can't just be playing it completely safe. If we were, all we'd have is Izzy's stupid note."

"Izzy's stupid note is the reason we know to go to Caithness. Have you forgotten that?" Courtney asked.

"We know Izzy was going somewhere with Primroses thanks to that note. Caithness is not the only place in Wawanakwa that grows Primroses. We know to go to the place in the northern mountains that grows Primroses thanks to the intel I provided."

"Fine. You still should have told us what you were planning. You put us all at risk! We could be in big trouble with the king if he finds out." Courtney argued.

"You're not the boss of this operation, Courtney. I don't need your permission to do something. And you need to keep in mind that if we are going to find Izzy, we are going to need to take some risks. Otherwise, we will get no where. Either we do what we need to do, or we should abandon this whole quest. If you're serious about finding Izzy, then you need to take it seriously, even if you need to do something you would rather not."

"You know, this whole thing would be much easier if we trusted each other." Courtney spoke, shaking her head. "If we can't trust each other, then how can we expect to get anything done."

Noah waved his hand. "Not going to disagree with you there. Still, I wouldn't expect much of a change of heart. Our distrust cuts a little too deep, and it's not particularly unfounded." He brought his hand quickly to his mouth. "Uh oh! Here it comes. _Eeuughhh_!" Noah vomited once more in the bushes. Courtney laughed at his expense.

"Fair enough." Courtney spoke.

"Although, don't be too discouraged. Some how you've succeeded to hold all of us together. I thought that was an impossible task. The fact that we are all still together on this journey is a bigger miracle than our birth. No one would have been able to do that other than you. There's a reason I came to you with the idea."

"Thank... you..." Courtney spoke, a little surprised by Noah's kind words. "It's been a while since I've said that," she chuckled to herself. "To be honest, you've impressed me the last couple of days. I never expected you would suggest going after Izzy. It's not like you to go out on a limb for others. And, while I may not agree with your methods, you trying harder than everyone else, and with more results as well. I feel like we're getting close to finding her."

Noah smiled. "Thanks. Just because I kept my head in books, doesn't mean I never cared for you all."

"Really? Do you remember what my favourite flower was when we were kids?" Courtney asked.

"What is with everyone's fascination with flowers recently? Since when was that the litmus of how well you knew someone. Fuck!" Noah spoke obviously frustrated.

Courtney quickly waved away the question. "It doesn't matter. Really. It was just a thought that crossed my mind. Forget it." She took a deep breath. "You know, I think we work better together than all of the others, like as a team."

"Well there's no denying we're the most competent." Noah admitted. "And we surely have better results working together than those fools."

"It's too bad. I often think how much I would like to choose my partner with that in mind. You know, choose. Make sure it's going to be the best it can be for my territory. I... I know it's silly to say this, but, I sometimes think it would be so much easier if you and me were chosen together for marriage. We'd make the best team."

Noah was a little surprised by her statement. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Just call it a hunch, but I doubt it'll happen." There was the sound of crumpling leafs in the distance. Noah looked to that direction. "Courtney!" He yelled.

Courtney turned around to see a hooded rider galloping in her direction. Before she had time to react a rope net was tossed on top of her. It's weight knocked her to the ground. She looked through to see Noah running away in the direction of the others. "Don't leave me!" She cried. A second hooded rider came riding out of the trees and directly at Noah.

"Shit." Noah cursed. The rider swung a wooden club at Noah. It struck him right in the side of the head, knocking him out cold. Courtney tried frantically to break free from the net but it was no use. Courtney's attention turned to the rider who had thrown the net. The rider quickly dismounted their horse and picked up Courtney off the ground and onto the back of their horse.

"Let go of me! Put me down!" She cried out. The rider mounted his horse and began to ride off with Courtney. Her attention turned to the second rider who rode up beside them. She saw Noah dangling unconscious on the back of the second riders horse. "Noah." she said softly. The two riders and their captives raced through the forest travelling past tree, after tree.

_Afterword:_

_Finally some action. This chapter is start of Act 3. Thank you for reading, please leave a review and tell us what you thought. I also posted the second of two chapters for my Tennis story Drop Shot Glory, so go check it out._


	11. Captured

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Warning: The following chapter contains: violence, coarse language, mature humour, and suggestive adult themes, YOU have been WARNED.

Chapter 11: Captured

**Somewhere in the Woods**

"Courtney!" Bridgette yelled. She sprinted through the forest. Geoff followed closely behind her. Her breaths her short; harsh. Her heart beat. Beat. Beat. In her hand, she held Courtney's cloak. She gripped it tightly. Her nails buried in her skin. "Damnit... Damnit." She repeated under her breath.

Geoff reached forward, and grabbed her shoulder. "Bridgette. Lets stop."

She wrestled out of his grasp. She pointed her finger at his throat. "You do not get to give me orders." She turned around. "We need to find them. They could not have gotten far."

"Yes. But we do not even know which direction they headed in. We could be going the wrong way. I think we need to get back to the clearing, and assess the situation." Geoff sighed. "We're not doing any good tiring ourselves out running around like wild beasts. We need to think about this!"

Bridgette shook her head. She gripped Courtney's cloak tighter. "Damnit." She stormed back towards the clearing, without looking at Geoff. Geoff scratched the back of his head, and followed close behind her.

In the clearing, Heather leaned against a tree. Alejandro, Trent and Gwen sat on the ground in a small circle. Duncan inspected the grass closely. Tracts cut through the clearing. As the knights approached, Duncan waved his hand. "Good. You're back. Any luck on those tracks?"

Geoff shook his head.

"Not surprising. I think they headed that way, before doubling back this way. That's why it's not obvious which direction they headed in. The damage over here is consistent with people riding towards the forest, not just out of it." Duncan pointed towards a couple of low hanging branches and bushes. "We should head this way."

"Good," Geoff spoke. He rubbed his face.

Bridgette fell to her knees, holding closely to the cloak. "Courtney... Courtney... I failed you..." She spoke in a daze. Her eyes were wide and blank.

"Hey!" Geoff called to her. "You need to snap out of it. We need you to search for them." Bridgette turned to him, and mouthed _fuck you_. Geoff shrugged his shoulders. "Probably deserve that," he admitted.

"Don't concern yourself with her, mister knight," Heather spoke dismissively. "She's not long for this world. Eva's sure to return any moment." She turned her head towards the trees. "Speak of the devil."

Eva galloped forward. The water canisters hung off her saddle. Once she rode into the clearing, she reared the horse. "Why is no one at the camp?" She spoke firmly. None of the others said a thing. They all avoided her eyes. She frowned, jumped off her horse, grabbed Bridgette off the ground, and pinned her against a tree. "WHERE...IS...HE?" She asked. Her voice filled with enmity.

"Bandits, we suspect." Heather spoke matter of fact. She cleaned her nails, as if she did not care about what transpired around her.

"I..." Bridgette tried to speak. Her voice was coarse. "I... I was not watching them." She admitted.

Eva punched her harshly in the stomach. Eva dropped Bridgette, who fell onto her knees and keeled over. Geoff stepped forward between the two girls. "Hey!" He called out. He stretched his arms out. "Back off! It's not her fault. It's mine! I pulled her away from the others."

With a swipe of her backhand, Eva slapped Geoff harshly. He was thrown onto the ground and into the kicked up mud by the bandit's horses. Eva walked over top of him. With disdain, she spit on him on the ground. She let out a spiteful chuckle. "You two are pathetic. You disgust me."

Eva continued: "You speak such high words about how I am unworthy to protect the lords. Seems to me like you're the ones unworthy of the task." She pointed her finger to her chest firmly. "I! I entrusted them to you! You! And this is what happens!"

"You only protect Noah as far as his father pays you. If the bandits had thrown gold at you, you would have turned coat. You have no honour. You are not better than us!" Geoff insisted.

Eva walked up to Geoff, and crouched down next to him in the mud. As he tried to stand, she pushed him back onto the ground. "They would have never been able to pay me more than Lord Noah's father pays me. I may be loyal to gold, but my loyalty is still strong enough to protect Lord Noah, and all those in my protection." Geoff tried to stand once more, but Eva pushed him down again. She stood up and extended her arms. "Where is this honour? Where is this honour you speak of that you possess from being knights? How does it protect them? How has it protected them?" Geoff remained silent. "Answer me! Answer me damn it!"

She jumped onto her horse. "Which direction did they head." Duncan pointed towards where he indicated earlier. "I will scout ahead. With any luck, we'll find them before the sun sets, and storm them under the cover of dark. Wait for me at the camp." She sped off into the forest.

Geoff once again tried to stand. "Well, that's that." Geoff muttered. Duncan crouched down on the ground next to Geoff. He sneered, and extended his arms to Geoff. Geoff grabbed his hand, and stood up.

"You know, she has a point. Your lovable loser act has its charm, but you are here to protect us. That's why you are here. First and foremost. Don't forget that. Otherwise, I will find someone else to protect me, and my future spouse." Duncan spoke slowly and calmly. His tone was regal; an imitation of the way Chris spoke.

Geoff brushed the mud off of his armor. He lowered his head and nodded to Duncan's words. Bridgette kept kneeling, staring down at the ground. Silent.

Heather cleared her throat, and started to walk back to the camp. "I'm starting to regret not bringing my own bodyguard now. Don't fail again, or I will send you to the stocks." Her words were cold and calculated. The lines of her face were straight. Gwen followed closely behind.

Alejandro nodded his head as he stood up. "Yes seriously, I'm most disappointed in you Bridgette. And to think, I slept with you."Bridgette looked up and stared at him, everyone was very quick to follow. He gave off a half smile, quickly regretting his words. Heather froze in place. Her fist clenched.

Their attention then turned to Bridgette, her eyes were widened in shock, still staring at Alejandro. "What?" Duncan yelled out. He walked right up to Alejandro, and grabbed the front of his lapel. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Is it so hard to keep your dick in your pants and not brag about it!"

"Yes! Yes it is!" Alejandro admitted.

Duncan dropped Alejandro. "You're pathetic. You really are. I've never met someone as weak as you. Even Noah has conviction. You're just a coward running away." He started to walk away from Alejandro.

Alejandro grabbed Duncan's shoulder. "I'm not running away from anything. I'm the only one here who actually wants to live. We were born into a prison. We are caged! The only freedom we have is right now. Soon, we'll never be able to have the life we want. So, I'm running to grasp it. I want to live. I will know what freedom tastes like. You're the real coward. You're too afraid to think outside of the chains we've been trapped in. You're more than willing to take all of this shit. You're just as blind as Courtney."

Duncan quickly turned around, and grabbed the front of Alejandro's shirt again. "Why do you always bring this back to her? Is all of this some kind of twisted revenge for her rejecting you when we were twelve? Has all of this been about that?"

Alejandro swiped away Duncan's arm. "Back off. You're the one still hung up on that. What are you going to do? Throw me through another window?"

"Fuck you," Duncan turned around, and started to walk towards the camp.

Once he passed by Heather, he patted her on the shoulder. She sideswiped Duncan's hand. She turned around, and walked straight in front of Alejandro. "Try not to get my good side," he said calmly, expecting to be hit. Instead, Heather reached forward and caressed his cheek. Alejandro stared wide eyed, frozen in fear. Then, Heather gripped his face firmly with her hand, and slowly dug the nail of her thumb into the skin next to his left ear. She stared straight into his eyes; she looked exhausted. Tired. Before he had time to react, in a single swipe, she cut deeply across his cheek, blood seeped from the cut down his face. When she let go, he promptly covered the wound with his left hand. "Ah Fuck!" he cried out. She shook her head. Expressionless. Then, she turned around, and headed back towards the camp site.

He stood, silent, watching her leave. He pushed onto the wound. The blood crawled through his fingers. "Hey!" Alejandro called towards her. His voice desperate. He stepped forward, but slipped on the mud. His foot shot backwards, sending him face first into the ground. "God damnit!" He yelled, punching the ground. He turned back towards Heather, and yelled: "Hey! What was that? Hey! Come on!" She did not react. Alejandro rubbed his face in frustration; streaks of blood travelled down along his cheek. "Fuck!"

Geoff stood next to Bridgette. She was silent in the mud. Her shoulders flinched. "Bridgette..." Geoff spoke with longing in his voice.

She turned to him. "Geoff," she tried to reach him. He took a step back. "I'm..." She tried to say, but her voice cracked.

Geoff took a good long look at her, then turned around, and headed towards the camp. Alejandro and Bridgette stayed still. Miring and muddled in the mud.

**Somewhere In The Woods**

"Alright, take off the hoods!"

The coarse sack was torn off of Noah's head. He was kneeling; his hands tied behind his back; his feet were bound; his knees dug into rough mud. The sun still hung in the sky. He squinted when the sack was removed; his eyes were used to the dark.

A dozen men formed a crescent before him. To his left, Courtney was tied in the same position. The person who tore off his bag, walked over and tore hers off as well. They shared a glance. Her right cheek was bruised. Around them, the ruins of a stronghold was patched together roughly with logs. There was a large stone tower, missing one side, right in the centre of the stronghold. A ten foot tall wall, supported with wooden scaffolding, surrounded the tower. A couple men stood on top the wall, bows in hands; There were a few other men atop the tower with bows as well. Within the walls, tents were arranged in a circle. Noah and Courtney's backs were a couple of feet before the wall.

"Where are we?" Courtney asked, sounding as if she were in a daze.

One of the larger men walked over to her, and brought his face close to hers. "In your worst nightmare."

"Really? Because unless that tower there is filled to the brim with bats, this is far from my worst nightmare." Noah groaned, rolling his eyes. "But seriously, there's no bats in there right? I've been around ruins like that before. Bats love that gothic shit. And if there are, then I'm not fucking cool with that." He spoke quickly.

"Noah!" Courtney sneered at him. "Tone it down a bit." She turned to the man. "As wonderful as your metaphor was, my question was not meant rhetorically. Where are we?" She asked more sternly.

"In the base of the Fire Ants!" One of the men called out from the wall.

Noah burst into laughter at the name. Courtney glared at him with daggers in her eyes. "Noah..." Courtney was losing her patience. "Fire Ants!" She called out to the group, "I need you to understand. We are important people. Very important people! But! We do not have much money on us. There was a group we were travelling with. They were stopped not far from where we were camped. If you wish to make demands, they will be able to pay handsomely. But! They will only negotiate terms if my companion and I are unharmed. This is imperative that you understand that. If we are harmed then they will not hand over any ransom."

"That's precious," one of the people in the crescent spoke venomously. The stout figure wore a thick green cloak. The hood covered the figures face. "How will they know whether you were harmed or not before they've already given us the ransom? We could hurt your pretty face, and they'd know nothing about it." The figure approached.

"You underestimate our companions. I can assure you they will know. I can assure you they would also take penance for any harm done. I'm telling you this to protect you."

"You think we will listen to threats by our prisoners? You're the one who's underestimating the Fire Ants!"

Noah burst into laughter. "Fire Ants! Oh God! You're killing me! Was Fire Snakes already taken or something?"

The figure turned to Noah and pointed his finger. "Shut up your stupid mouth. Or I will actually kill you!" He called out in a threatening voice. "And yes," the figure muttered under his breath.

Noah stirred in his place. He scowled at the man.

"Would it be possible to speak to your leader?" Courtney asked.

"You are speaking to our leader. It is me!" He pulled down his hood to reveal the cotton cap on his head. "Ezekiel!" He walked over to Noah, grabbed Noah's jaw, and looked Noah straight in the eyes. "You remember me motherfucker? We have some unfinished business in regards to some cockfights yesterday. I remember you talking a bunch about a rich patron. Now that I have you both, I hope we can arrange a more than appropriate compensation for me and my men."

"Thank God!" Noah cried out in relief. He turned to Courtney. "You know, for a moment there, I was a little worried about these guys. Whew. That's a weight off of my shoulders." Noah rolled his shoulders, and stretched his bound arms. The stress left his face. He carried himself casually, looking at the different guys.

"Shut up!" Ezekiel punched Noah in the face, sending him to the ground.

Noah was able to nudge his way back upwards. Then, he stretched his arms some more. "Hey guys!" He called out to the men. "What's this incompetent loser doing as your leader? Couldn't find someone better? If any of you have any hopes of rising up the hierarchy, all you got to do is bet against this Ezekiel guy in a cock fight. You'll win for sure, he can't comprehend betting on the larger bird!"

"Noah!" Courtney called to him.

"That's it! We're taking one of your hands!" Ezekiel called out in a fit of rage. He walked to one of the larger men, and pulled out the guy's sword. "It's your rich patron that we're here for anyways. You're just the guy she uses for her dirty work."

Noah took a deep breath. "You idiot! This is not my rich patron! Do you not remember me stating she was a redhead, specifically, like a hundred times!"

Courtney turned to Noah. "Noah, enough! You've failed enough in your simple task." She turned back to Ezekiel. "Yes I am Noah's rich patron. He's just trying to protect me. Which he's done a pretty shitty job of so far." She spoke sending Noah a glance. "My name is Lady Courtney of the Buchan Coast. Heir to House Grampian. I possess mass riches, beyond your wildest dreams!"

"That's a bold claim, any proof?" Ezekiel asked.

"Around my neck is a solid gold medallion of House Grampian. It's worth more than anything you have ever come across. There is only one in existence." Courtney spoke confidently.

Ezekiel reached around Courtney's neck, and pulled out the chain. The medallion swung on the bottom. "Well fuck me," he said under his breath. It was a an inch in diameter. Tiny jewels surrounded the edge. The Grampian seal was carved in the middle. "Looks like we hit the jackpot boys! Nobody's allowed to touch this girl." Ezekiel ordered, Courtney let out a sigh of relief. "Cut off the boy's hands though, no one disrespects me."

Ezekiel turned around and began to walk away. Two large henchmen walked up, grabbed Noah by the arms and lifted Noah off the ground. Noah's eyes widened in fear and was about to speak when he was cut off. "No!" Courtney yelled out, slowly struggling to stand up. Ezekiel turned back. He walked up to Courtney who was now standing, able to look at him at eye level. "You can't do that. Noah here, is a very important servant for my family, he is the only one alive who can open my family vault. It is a complicated dial mechanism."

Ezekiel just rolled his eyes. "Fine then, just cut off one hand."

"No! He needs both!" Courtney demanded.

"A lock that requires two hands?"

"Um, yes, like I said, it is very complicated... as it requires both hands. Noah is the only one who has mastered the system and is thus the living key to the Grampian fortune." Courtney explained.

"To access your entire fortune you entrust one man and one man only. And if he were to die you'd be without any way to access your gold? That seems like a really dumb system eh?"

Courtney let off a really forced laugh. "You know the old saying, the only thing... dumber than a... tramp... is the lord of House Gramp!" She then let off another fake laugh.

"I've never heard that before."

"Well it's a very common saying." Courtney spoke matter-of-factly.

Noah nodded his head. "It's true, House Grampian is considered the lowest common denominator in terms of lordships. I mean they're best described as the village idiots of lords, especially when compared to House Fife." Courtney sent him a quick glance.

Ezekiel brushed his hand against the few overgrown hairs on his chin. "I am still not convinced."

"Listen!" Courtney called out in anger. "This man is singlehandedly responsible for my being violently attacked, captured, and held for ransom in a big run down ruin by the likes of you. I would like nothing more than to see him be violently mutilated for what he's done, to me, personally." Noah was shocked by the amount of conviction Courtney was speaking. "But unfortunately he is way too important for me to allow that to happen. Now are you going to toss us in a cage or not?"

Ezekiel took almost a minute to think over what he had heard. "Okay, take them to that old rundown dungeon."

Four men grabbed them by the shoulders, and dragged them to the old stone tower. It was rather large on the inside, a number of different winding passageways. They travelled down a series of corridors and stairs leading to a musty old basement. There was an old dungeon that was half caved in. There was one cell that was still intact and the two of them were pushed inside. The four men locked the door and headed back up the stairs and out of sight.

**Somewhere in the Woods (again)**

Duncan, Geoff, and Bridgette all sat around a burnt down campfire. The sun rested at the precipice of the horizon. Its rosy streaks climbed around the edges of clouds. A couple of tents were set up around them. Trent sat in front of one of them, strumming his lute. He sang:_ Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday..._

Duncan watched Trent. His head leaned to the side from exhaustion. "Could someone please shut him up? He's such a bummer..." He groaned.

Geoff stood up from his log. "We should head out. Eva might have been captured herself. We shouldn't be sitting around here doing nothing."

"If they were able to capture her in the mood she was in, it might not be a good idea for us to face them. Maybe we should head back to Kirkcaldy. Get some reinforcements." Bridgette spoke. Her usual force softened.

Duncan shook his head. "No. We can't back down now. Even without she-beast, we'll be enough. Have some faith. Still, I think we should wait a little longer for her-berus. She may be a monster, but she's our best shot at getting Noah and Courtney back without too much trouble.

A horse could be heard in the distance. "Speak of the devil," Duncan commented. He stood up from his log. The horse was trotting quickly. It approached on the road quickly.

"Wait!" Bridgette called. "That's not Eva's horse." Geoff and Bridgette unsheathed their swords. Geoff positioned himself between the approaching horse and Duncan. Duncan, was shaken by the comment, almost as if awoken from a daze.

On the horse, a stout figure in a thick green cloak rode. The horse came to a halt right in the middle of their camp.

"Who are you? Have you come to discuss ransom terms?"

The figure on the horse pulled back her hood. She had medium length brown hair bunched into a high ponytail. Her face was round. "Hail fellow travellers!" she announced. "I am sorry, I do not understand what you are talking about."

Bridgette lowered her sword. "Forget about it then. Be on your way." She walked back to the fire and sat down.

Geoff watched Bridgette with a frown on his face. He turned to the rider. "Traveller, on your way towards Kirkcaldy, did you happen to see a group of men riding quickly. We believe some of our companions may have been kidnapped by bandits. Any information would be appreciated."

The woman stepped off her horse. "I did see a bunch riding. They seemed to be moving in a hurry. I believe they were headed east. Probably headed to one of the abandoned ruins"

"Really?" Duncan interjected. His fist was clenched.

"Yes. I am from the Hunter's Guild, so I know these woods well. This forest is full of old ruined forts from the Barbarian times. I hear many are now occupied by bandits. If your companions were captured, I would wager they'd be taken to one."

Bridgette stood up again. "Is there one to the east?" Her energy was returned to her.

"Due east from here? Yes I believe there is one, with a large tower."

"We'll wait for one of our companions to return, then we'll head that way. We can not thank you enough, traveller." Geoff said genuinely happy.

"No problem," the traveller smiled. "My name's Beth, by the way."

**Somewhere in the Woods (last time I promise)**

Courtney held onto the bars. The iron was damp. The sun had long set. Courtney and Noah were covered in shadow. A bit of light danced from the fire through the notches opposite the metal bars. Noah sat on the musty ground leaning onto the back wall. His knees were tight against his chest. Moisture hung on their breaths. "This is all your fault," Courtney spoke venomously.

"I know, you've said it about a hundred times. Repeating it does not make it more true. I'm already well aware of that fact." Noah said hanging his head.

"Recklessly attracting the attention of the castle, swindling a bandit out of his money, nearly getting your hands chopped off, you speak without thinking. Words have meaning, they hold consequence! You're a reckless fool!" Courtney rambled on.

Noah stayed still, staring at the ground. "I'm not disagreeing with you."

Courtney turned around and stared at him. "Then man up about it! Say something!"

"What?" Noah called out in frustration. "What do you want me to say? Yes, I underestimated who this Ezekiel guy was. Yes I let my mouth run off. Yes you totally saved my ass back there. But I think I could have helped myself by just saying who I really am as well, you didn't need to come up with that stupid story about me as your servant."

"Yeah right!" Courtney answered back. "Like he would have believed you. That the scrub who took all his money betting in a crummy alleyway was actually heir to the richest family in the nation. That's way more plausible. Plus, I have my medallion to prove who I am, do you have something like that?" Noah remained silent. "I know you don't, that's why I continued the farce that you originally told him! Because I think before I speak!"

"I know!"

Courtney stormed over and grabbed Noah and pulled him up off the ground. "You know! You know everything! But you don't think! Or act! Or anything else! We could have been killed! We could have been killed and you were making jokes! You couldn't take it seriously! You could never take anything seriously! And you never, ever, think about anyone but yourself!" Tears began to fill Courtney's eyes. "You're still that god damn annoying brat! You haven't matured at all. Books are not substitutes of people Noah! Why can't you realize that?"

"Why not? What's wrong with books? Books treated me better then you assholes ever did!" Noah defended himself.

Courtney dug her fingers into Noah and pushed him back against the wall. The force caught Noah by surprise, he looked wide eyed into Courtney's watery eyes. "You caused us to act that way! You were always being sarcastic and snarky. Your comments were always personal, direct, and most of all, hurtful! But you could never figure that out! You were always so self-centred, you never thought about anyone but yourself! What about Izzy? She treated you better than you ever treated yourself!"

Noah pushed Courtney off of him. "Don't you dare fucking lecture me on how Izzy treated me! I'm well aware of the situation. I know how much I fucked up. I know how much I've always been hurting her. I know how much all of this is my fault!" He yelled at Courtney. His hands shook with rage. "You don't get to speak to me about it!" He pointed forcefully at Courtney.

With a sigh, he sat down on the ground in the cell. Courtney stayed in her place. He buried his head in his hands. He started to ramble: "she always came to me when she needed someone. I always, always, always, pushed her away. Last year, she came to my room repeatedly. Never had she been so persistent. I exploded on her. Told her all kinds of mean things. Terrible things."

"When, really, she just wanted someone to confide in. She was scared. Alone. Confused. She even went to Heather for fucks sake. Of course she left; of course she ran away; we pushed her to the brink. I made it clear to her that there was no place for her at the castle. The Justin guy must have seemed like her only option. The only chance she had of finding her place." Noah snorted.

"But! I may have been the one who pushed her away, but Courtney, don't you dare lie to yourself. You're the one who refused to let Izzy be herself. You're the one who made Izzy hate herself for not being like you. You're the one who made it clear to Izzy that she was not welcome with everyone else. You're the one who made her need someone to confide in. You're just as much to blame as I am. She felt just as threatened by you, as she did my rejection."

"That's not true!" Courtney yelled. "I just wanted her to know her place. Act the way she was supposed to act!"

"Yeah. You wanted to act completely different from herself. You made her hate the way she liked to be. Not everyone finds perfection so easy. Not everyone finds satisfaction in being told what to do. Did you ever consider her thoughts? Did you ever consider what she wanted?" Noah spat back.

"Of course I did! I was trying to make things easier for her. People hated her. You hate her. You just said so yourself. Of course I was considerate. I was the only one trying to make it better for her. I wanted her to understand that if she was more considerate, then it did not have to be that way."

"You were trying to show her how not to be hated, by hating her more than anyone else. I don't think you were being particularly clear of your compassion."

"Fine! I hated her. I hated every part of her. Is that what you want to hear? That doesn't mean she didn't matter to me. Why do you think I'm going after her? It's not just to impress Chris. If I wanted to do that, I'd just listen to him, like I always do. No. I'm scared. I'm scared Izzy might be in trouble. I'm so fucking scared for her. I want to make sure she's safe. Even though I hate her, I still care!" Courtney said. She leaned against the wall, covering her face. "How did things get so messed up? It's just like Izzy, making everything fucked up beyond recognition."

Noah sat down, exhausted. He rubbed his face."The funny thing about all of this, is that I know so much, and yet I could not recognize it until I was sitting in the royal hall, hearing Chris speak, staring at her empty chair. I couldn't recognize how it would affect me. I'd even heard that one of the heirs had run away, weeks beforehand. But I didn't care. What did it matter to me? They'd be caught soon enough."

"Noah..." Courtney stepped back. She sat down with her back against the bars. "You shit head. You knew? You lied to me!"

"I did not know it was Izzy. I never said I did not know one of us had run away. Plus, I barely knew anything. Chris made sure there was nothing more.

"I can't believe you! Are you keeping anything else from me?" She rubbed the side of her face. Her frustration was apparent.

"No," Noah tried to insist. He stared away from her gaze.

"I don't believe you. You know something, don't you? I know that face. What are you hiding?"

"Fine. There's one thing. But, trust me. This is for your own good. Please." Noah whispered. The strength in his voice was gone.

"What is it?" Courtney asked directly. Noah shook his head. He said nothing. "What is it?" Courtney asked again. Noah looked at the ground. Courtney stood up from her spot, grabbed his collar again, and dragged him to the wall. "WHAT IS IT?" She yelled.

"The list. I know the list. I know who we will marry."

Courtney's eyes opened. She took a step back. "The list..." The words barely escaped her lips. She dropped Noah, and sat back against the bars. "The list..." she repeated in a daze. "You know the list? How could you be keeping this from us? We have every right to know as you do!"

"Ask yourself something. Think down, deep inside yourself. Do you really want to know? I thought I did. I thought it would relieve the anxiety; my worry; my fears. I can tell you this honestly. It hasn't. In fact, it's made everything worse. I can tell you right now that you don't want to know. Find out after we've found Izzy. Find out from Chris's lips. You will regret learning it in a damp cell. I can tell you that with more confidence than I have in anything else."

"I..." Courtney began to say, but the words were caught in her throat. She sat back, and looked at the ceiling. They stayed that way, silent, in the cell. Captured by bandits. Captured by their own minds.

_Afterword:_

_Things are really kicking off, will the party be able to recover? Whose the bigger threat to Noah and Courtney, the bandits or themselves? Find out in the next chapter of The Pillars of Destiny!_

_This was a fast update. Hoping to have a few more fast ones like this. Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, and supporting this story. Please continue to do so._


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